


At the end of the day

by weeping_angel



Category: Fast and the Furious Series
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-10
Updated: 2015-01-03
Packaged: 2018-01-08 04:30:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 23,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1128379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weeping_angel/pseuds/weeping_angel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At the end of a long day of work, Luke Hobbs has only one thing on his mind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I own absolutely nothing to do with F&F, I own only my OC. That's it. This is the first story I've ever posted so any feedback is seriously appreciated.

Hobbs drops his bags by the door and tosses his jacket not caring where it lands. There's only one thing on his mind as he takes the steps two at a time, removing his shirt then his boots. He can hear the shower running and can't help but grin as he makes his way towards it. The bathroom is full of steam but he can make out the outline of her body through the shower door. 'Beautiful', he thinks as he watches her for a moment. 

"You just gonna stand there?" she says, her back still turned to him. 

He should've known he can't sneak up on her. He makes quick work of his pants and steps in behind her. The hot water feels great on his tired body, but he has other things in mind for his night. He pulls her against him so she can feel his hardness. She wriggles back against him and he groans. His hands roam over her body, down her stomach to the trimmed curls of her sex, fingers teasing her gently. A smile spreads across his face as he hears her breath hitch and a small moan. She's already incredibly wet for him and he knows he won't last too long. 

He spins her around and crashes his lips to hers, lifting her in his arms as she wraps her legs around him. Her hand reaches inbetween them to stroke him, then he pushes her against the cool tile wall and slowly pushes into her. He gives her a moment to adjust then sets a fast pace, any worries about him being to rough are washed away as she moves to meet him for every thrust. Her nails rake down his back and a slew of curses and groans are slipping out from her lips. "Luke." she moans, he can feel her muscles clenching around him and knows she's close. 

He leans forward to capture her lips in a kiss, he's missed her. He kisses his way down her neck till he reaches her shoulder, teeth nipping at her tender skin. "Oh god." she groans out, her powerful legs squeeze him tightly, her arms wrapping around his shoulders as she falls blissfully over the edge. He holds her tightly as he continues pumping into her, she whispers his name and he falls over the edge with her. 

He looks down at her and she's smiling at him. "Missed me?" she says breathlessly. He's missed her more than he'd care to admit, he's missed the taste of her, the feel of her lips on his, her legs around him, and the wonderful feeling of being buried deep inside her. 

His arms still hold her tightly against him, he doesn't plan on letting her go anytime soon and when she starts wriggling around he bites back a groan. Using one arm to hold her, he moves the other to shut off the water. 

"Hey I wasn't done showering." she looks at him curiously and he just smiles.

"There's no point in finishing now, you'd just have to do it again when we're done." he carries her out of the shower and towards the enormous bed. 

She can feel him inside her, stirring once more and grins mischieviously. "You mean we're not done yet?"

He kisses her then slides out, grabbing her by her hips he flips her onto her hands and knees. She looks back at him biting her lip, the lust clear in her eyes. "We're not even close." he tells her.


	2. ch2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is my first attempt at writing a full story, figured i'd give it a shot. Any reviews or comments are welcome, good or bad.

Angelique Sanclair is a woman of extreme professional integrity. She lives her life by a simple code, intending to lead her life honorably, with self discipline, and to be the best at what she does. So far, so good.

Nothing gets in the way of her goals, or her job, and so far she's been completely fine with the lack of relationships in her life. When she feels the urge to scratch a particular itch, well it was never hard to go out to the local bar and find someone willing to spend the night. Afterwards she'd sneak away and head to work, never bumping into them again. Why bother getting tangled up in unnecessary romantic trysts? Just a quick fuck, pure and simple, gets the job done.

That's how life was, back when the most complicated decision she'd have to make would be whether or not she wants to take the chopper or plane to work. Now, well now was a completely different matter.

She opens her eyes slowly, enjoying the warmth of his body pressed against hers. His large arms still wrapped around her holding her close. His breathing is deep and relaxed, and hes so peaceful. She smiles and enjoys the moment for a while longer, hoping to store it in her mind for darker days. Their peaceful moments like this were few and far between, and if her lifestyle has taught her anything its that every beautiful moment should be enjoyed.

Her mind wanders to thoughts of how they got to this point. How did she become so comfortable with the man by her side that she'd let him into her home, her sanctuary. It's getting harder and harder to convince herself that this is just sex and that it hasn't become something more.

Keeping her emotions under lock and key is something she's always excelled at. Even as a child she'd learned that emotions were a weakness, and as she's grown older she's realized that its a weakness she can't afford to have. He's managed to bring that weakness out, with his smiles, with his kisses, with his touch. Everything he does brings out new and frightening feelings.

It scares her, and she doesn't like being scared. She's brought from her thoughts when she feels him moving behind her. She can feel his arms pull her closer, feel him nuzzle the back of her neck. She can feel his lips on her skin, his breath warm against her.

She listens closely as his breathing changes, he's waking up and she forgets about all her thoughts when he kisses her skin. "Good morning." he says sleepily.

"Morning." She turns to face him, and can feel her heart flutter when she sees him smiling. 'Gotta stop that', her mind shouts. It's pointless, she knows it because his smiles seem to be contagious.

"What's the plan?" he says as he tucks a stray curl behind her ear.

"Hmmm," she doesn't wanna leave the bed to be honest. Her stomach has other ideas though, "How bout breakfast?"

"Diner down the street?"

Nodding her head she stands up from the bed, letting the sheet fall from her body as she makes her way to the bathroom. She can hear the bed creak as he gets up to follow, "Whoa, down boy." she teases.

"We'll save time if we go in the shower together." he says playfully.

She turns around and shakes her head, "No because you never let me actually finish a shower! I'm hungry and i'm in dire need of waffles so I need to be quick."

He just grins, leaning down to kiss her gently. "Alright then, I know I can't stand in the way of you and your waffles." he says with a smile.

Angelique just smiles as she walks into the large shower, and as the water soothes her muscles, still sore from the nights activities her mind focuses on a very important thought. She leans against the cold tile wall for a moment as she finally comes to terms with what she's known for months now. "I'm in love with Luke Hobbs."


	3. ch3

The end of another day finds him back in bed with her fast asleep against him 

after another passionate night spent together. It's been a great week off and he 

find's himself regretting that he has to go to work the next morning. He's not sure 

how long his next job will take him away for, but he hopes it's not long. 

Every night this week he finds himself thinking about so many things. His life 

has changed since he met her more than a year ago. At that time he certainly 

never thought he'd see her again, nor did he want to. That first meeting was a 

nightmare, two months spent chasing down a target only to have him snatched 

from his grasp at the last moment, and by a woman no less. 

He was certainly caught off guard by her and her team, but then again thats what 

the CIA's good at. When he'd returned empty handed he filled out the mountain 

of paperwork left on his desk and took two weeks off to heal his physical 

wounds and his pride. The great Luke Hobbs was outsmarted by Angelique 

Sanclair, though at the time he didn't know her name. He didn't learn that till their 

second encounter.

While running through the jungles of Borneo his team bumps into hers again, 

this time they're prepared to fight for their target but it never comes to that. The 

job turns out to be a little more dangerous than they'd both thought, and they 

form an uneasy truce to try and make it out of the jungle in one piece. They 

manage to fight their way through several groups of armed men, a couple of drug 

lords, and actually make it back with the target. In the end both the CIA and DSS 

decide to work out a deal so that Hobbs would get credit for the arrest, but the 

CIA would handle the 'prosecution'. 

During the whole ordeal, Hobbs tries to keep his thoughts strictly professional 

but it's hard when a beautiful woman is running around guns blazing dressed in 

full tactical gear. It may be strange but he found it strangely alluring. Her long 

dark hair pulled in a pony tail as she fights off men twice her size and takes hits 

but keeps on fighting by his side when shit gets crazy. Well by the end of that 

encounter her image was pretty much engraved in his mind. 

By their third encounter in the dry deserts of Durango, they're on a first name 

basis. This job promised to be quite the challenge, trying to grab two criminals 

wanted by the CIA and several other international government agencies can 

prove quite challenging especially when they had several other teams as 

competition. The targets were hard to track, and once found they knew it'd be an 

even bigger problem to extract them which is why the CIA decided it should be a 

joint operation between their two teams. So they go into Mexico together, and 

side by side they fight off the other agencies and a few cartels to get their 

targets back, all while trying to avoid an international incident. 

It takes several weeks, but they get the job done and on the flight back she 

stitches up a nasty knife wound he got while covering her from harm. "What the 

hell'd you do that for?" she'd asked him. 

The question had caught him off guard, most women would swoon for a guy 

putting themselves in harms way for them. Then again she's not like most 

women. "I slipped." he says with a grin. They both know its a lie, but she 

accepts it with a smile and finishes patching him up. That smile of hers, that's 

where it all started. At that moment on that plane 30,000 feet in the air, that's 

when he started the long, hard fall for her.

When they'd arrived back in D.C. they spoke with their COs and were 

congratulated on a job well done. After all was said and done their teams went to 

a nearby pub and they'd all had a drink. His men played pool, her team got drunk 

and flirted, all the while they both sat in a corner booth and had a beer. They 

talked a bit and then left to go to their seperate hotels but somewhere along the 

way they managed to kiss and that was all it took. 

He remembers that first time vividly, and every time after that. Each time they 

meet in between jobs he tells himself its to relieve stress and tension. Their lives 

are complicated and any day might be their last so a relationship was never really 

in the cards for him. She appeared to feel the same way so they came to their 

arrangement, but now he's wishing it was more than just 'friends with benefits'. 

He cares for her, very deeply he knows it and no matter how hard he tries to 

stomp down those feelings they won't stay away. The problem he faces now is 

the uncertainty of not knowing if she feels the same way. To find out he'll have 

to tell her how he feels, but if she doesn't consider this more than just a sexual 

tryst then he's fucked because he won't be able to just settle for a physical 

arrangement anymore. 

He feels her wriggling around against him, and smiles as he sees her settle 

against his chest. "What time is it?' she asks sleepily. 

"3am." He smiles again when he sees her scrunch her face up, rubbing her eyes.

"Why are you up?" she looks up at him. "Thinking about work?"

He nods his head and wonders if he should just take this opportunity to tell her 

what he's really been thinking about. 

She smiles and shakes her head, "You've got a few hours left of your time off, 

you should not be thinking about your next job."

He wraps an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. "What should I be doing?" 

His hand caresses the soft skin of her hip as he feels her move her leg against 

him. 

"You should be enjoying the time you have left." Her lips meet his in a soft but 

passionate kiss. 

He deepens the kiss as he rolls them over, her legs wrapping around his hips as 

he enters her slowly. As he gives into the wonderful sensations, the thought in 

the back of his mind lingers. He has to tell her, he will tell her, but he'll do it when 

he gets back from his latest job. Besides, this job in Brazil shouldn't take long 

anyway.


	4. ch4

Lucy plops down in the co-pilots chair, her body still half asleep, and her mind not too far behind. She yawns as she pulls back her long blonde hair into a pony tail and rubs her eyes trying to get them to focus. She can hear Angel moving around the back of the plane, she's surprised that she seems fully awake at 2am on a Monday.   
She's still not sure why she's here, just that Angel called her and asked her for a huge favor. Of course she wasn't going to say no to her dearest friend, the fact that she's technically her boss helped her make the decision too. The sound of Angel's voice when she made the call is really what made her come without question, though now she's got a few floating around in her sleep addled mind.  
Angel comes up to the pilot's seat and starts checking the systems, flicking switches, and calibrating the controls.   
She waits for a moment, running through her systems checks and procedures before deciding to ask. "So....." she waits another moment, "why are we flying to Brazil?"   
"Well, I know someone who needs some help." Angel answers as she keeps her eyes on the console.  
"A friend?" The question leaves her mouth before she's had a chance to really think about it. She knows there's more to it, and knows that Angel has been acting strangely for a while now but she's decided it wasn't really her business to pry. Her curiosity is getting the better of her at this point though and the part of her brain that usually sensors it hasn't woken up yet. It is a long flight ahead of them so there's no better time like the present to start annoying her.  
Angel starts the engines of the plane, and then looks over at Lucy, "It's complicated." She knows she can trust Lucy with her life, and with her deepest darkest secrets, but she hasn't told her about Luke yet and she's far too worried to start explaining it now.   
She had gotten the call from Luke just a little over an hour ago. She hadn't heard from him since he left for the job and she'd been excited to see his name pop up on her cell. She thought he'd be telling her he was on his way, instead when she answered and heard his voice her heart almost stopped. The tone of his voice, it was so distant, so cold and she just knew something was wrong. "I'm done, but I need a favor. If you can that is, I mean you don't have to..." he'd been mumbling, something he never does so she stopped him and told him, whatever he needs she'd help out. "I'm in Brazil, is there any way you can get me a flight out of here?" He needed a quick flight out, for him and his team he explained, obviously something hadn't gone right but he didn't elaborate and she wouldn't push for details. Whatever had happened, he figured that maybe her ties to the CIA might be able to help smooth the situation over and get him out as fast as possible. She assured him she'd be there, and before they'd hung up she was already on her way to the small airport outside of the city where she keeps their "toys". On the way she called Lucy, it is late and not exactly a bright idea to make a 8-9 hour flight all alone. Besides, she wasn't sure what kind of issues would greet her once they landed and she knows she can count on her right hand gal to have her back regardless of the situation.   
Now they're in their Dassault Falcon 50, and she hopes that conditions are good enough to shave off some time on the flight. She didn't receive clearance from her 'superiors' for this flight, hell, she didn't even tell them, if they somehow found out she'd handle it then but right now she didn't have time to go through procedures.  
"We've got a few hours, and i'm willing to listen." Lucy tells her as she checks their altitude. "All systems are fine, altitude is fine, and we've still got atleast 8 hours in this plane." she says looking over at Angel. She notices the small smile on Angel's lips.  
"You just don't quit." she tells her while shaking her head. "Fine, but it doesn't leave this cock pit comprende?" Lucy nods her head quickly. "Oh and one other thing, this flight isn't scheduled or approved by anyone so..."   
Lucy doesn't even let her finish, she shakes her head and waves her hands. "Don't worry about that, as far as anyone knows I decided to take the plane out for a spin again and this time I just brought you with me. We're just going on vacation!" she says with a laugh. Lucy is known for doing erratic things like taking spur of the moment trips in the team's vehicles so the bosses wouldn't think anything of it.  
Angel just smiles, thankful for Lucy's discretion and willingness to help. "He's a friend, but like I said, it's complicated."   
"Who?" Lucy waits anxiously, a list of all the men they know float in her mind, all the different teams they've met and all the different agents as she wonders which one caught her friend's eye.   
Angel bites her lip, before finally taking a breath "Luke Hobbs." She watches Lucy's face, and finds her friend's shocked expression amusing.  
Of all the men floating around in her mind, Luke Hobbs hadn't even popped up on the list. "Wait....you, uh...Luke Hobbs?" she asks wondering if she misheard her. Angel nods her head. "Luke Hobbs?" Lucy repeats, "The super huge, tall, hulking guy over with DDS?"  
Angel can't help but smile at Lucy's reaction, "Do you know of any other Luke Hobbs?"  
A few moments pass by, complete silence fills the small space. Lucy is definitely surprised, there are so many questions she wants to ask but she doesn't know where to start. "Start at the beginning." she tells Angel as she turns her chair to face her.   
"Huh?" Angel gives her a puzzled look.  
Lucy grins, "You heard me! Start from the beginning, I want details woman. Did you to have sex? Oh my god...You did didn't you? Well of course you did! I'd find it hard to believe that you'd drag me across several countries to help someone you didn't fu.."   
"Whoa slow down." Angel interrupts her; she should've known that Lucy would act like this. She'd gone from zombie-like to super hyper in under a minute. She's seen her like this before and she knows there's no escaping her, especially when they're thousands of feet in the air with nowhere to run for the next few hours. So she'll answer her questions, "I'll tell you but seriously you need to calm down, we still have a flight to do and we do need to concentrate."  
Truthfully, she's somewhat thankful for the distraction from her thoughts of Luke in Brazil. The next few hours are spent with them actually piloting their plane and her telling Lucy all about the crazy year she's had with Luke. Lucy of coarse makes her snide remarks and lewd comments throughout, but once she gets to the recent months Lucy becomes more restrained.   
"So it's not just sex anymore is it?" Lucy watches Angel closely. Her friend sits still and takes a deep breath before answering.  
"No." Angel shakes her head, "No it's not. It's so much more for me, and that's what terrifies me Lucy." She hadn't expected to feel better by just saying it out loud to someone, almost like she can breathe a little better now because at least someone heard it. "He's more than that."   
Lucy smiles tenderly; she never thought she'd hear Angel say anything like this. Her friend has always held men at arm's length, never letting anyone get too close and always keeping her emotions behind what she believed was an impenetrable wall. So for her friend to be telling her this, well it was big. "Oh honey," she leans over and hugs her tightly, "you're in love!"   
"Yeah, and it hit me like a fuckin' freight train." Angel replies with a laugh.   
"Well did ya tell him yet or what?" Lucy asks, the look Angel gives her is answer enough. "You'd better tell him when you see him; I mean it should be pretty obvious but men are stupid so…."   
Angel doesn't respond, she just leans back in her chair. After a moment she sighs, "I will, but I’m not sure he thinks of it as more than just friends with benefits."  
Lucy reaches over and squeezes her hand, "Tell him, I’m sure you'll be pleasantly surprised. I bet you ten grand that he feels the same!" she says hoping to get Angel to smile.  
"Ten grand?" Angel doesn't smile but instead looks at her friend like she's lost her mind. "That's a lot, and it’s kind of a fucked up bet to be honest." If she wins she gets ten grand sure, but her heart will be broken, and if she loses well she's out ten grand! It's not really a winning bet for her either way.  
"Ten grand!" Lucy insists holding out her hand.  
Angel shakes it hesitantly, "Fine."  
Lucy smiles brightly. "We're approaching our destination," she says happily, "and would ya look at that? We actually did make it here just under 8 hours, not bad considering I’m running on just coffee and sugar." she says with an appreciative nod.  
Angel just smiles as they begin their approach for descent. Her mind shifts back to Luke, her heart heavy with worry as she thinks about what could've gone wrong that he'd have to call her to come help. 'Please let him be ok.' she prays silently.


	5. ch5

It’s been two weeks. Two weeks since she flew all the way to Brazil to bring him back. Two weeks filled with nothing but paperwork, meetings, and funerals for his team. He didn’t write letters to their families, but instead went personally to each one’s home and told them, then went to each funeral. He stood in the back of each one and heard the words of friends and family as they mourned each man. Saw the tears shed by their wives and children, the entire time he felt the anger and guilt consume him. They were good men; they didn’t deserve to die the way they did. They were young and had families to come home to and he felt responsible for them lying in the caskets, being slowly lowered to the ground. 

A few times the dark thought went through his mind; it should be him in the ground. After all, he had no family to mourn him, no one to leave behind. Every time that thought reared its ugly head he thought of Angel. He had her, well not officially, but he’d miss her. The whole time in Brazil, as shit went from bad to worse all he could think about was getting back to see her. Now after all the sadness, mourning, and death, he needs to feel alive. He needs to feel something, so he sits in the cramped seat on the small plane as it makes its way to Philadelphia. 

That’s where she told him she’d be, she’d offer to accompany him on his trip but he’d told her he’d be fine on himself. He needed the few days to come to terms with everything; he didn’t want to burden her anymore than he already had. She’d conceded, though he could tell she wasn’t really happy about it. He saw her worried look when she first stepped into the police station in Rio and saw him. It took all of his will power to stop himself from running to her and crushing her against him. As the plane begins its descent he thinks of seeing her again, of all the things he’s left unsaid, but that’ll change. He’ll tell her, he’ll show her, just how much she means to him.  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"I know exactly what i'm looking for." Lucy grins, taking another sip of her martini.

"And what the hell would that be?" Angel can't wait to hear her answer.

"I wanna be treated like an absolute princess," Lucy says surprising them with her answer. "then fucked like a porn star." she adds crudely.

"I knew it." Meg shakes her head. "I knew she couldn't be sincere without being disgusting too."

"Oh come on you guys, a nice lay every now and again can really help with our stress ya know." Lucy tries to justify her response.

Meg nods her head, "You're right. I'm sure it'd help with my stress." The red head says glancing around the bar. It's a high class place, pretty much just men in suits glancing in their direction; they've already gotten six free drinks and her and Lucy hope they get lucky tonight. She begins studying the men, trying to figure out which one she'll go home with.

"I've got dibs on Mr. Brad Pitt over there." Lucy says gesturing over to a handsome gentleman. "Nice blonde hair, clean shaven and bright blue eyes. I can totally see myself having a good time tonight." 

"No fair, I saw him first." Meg sounds like a spoiled child unwilling to share a toy. 

Angel just shakes her head as she finishes up her whiskey. "Well I’ll just leave you two alone to fight that out."

"Hey, where ya going?" Lucy frowns at her. 

"Yeah it's supposed to be our night out." Meg chimes in. 

"Well you two obviously have your night planned. So hope you get lucky and call me tomorrow so I know you haven't been killed or kidnapped. K?" Angel smiles as she puts on her jacket. 

"Oh come on, you could totally get lucky." Meg says trying to persuade her to stay.

Lucy nods her head, "Yeah that guy over there's been staring at you since we walked in." She says it just to bother Angel, knowing very well that there’s only one man on her mind.

Angel looks over at the bar, a young man holds up his drink to her and winks. "He's practically a baby." she points out to them. "Look I’m tired and I’m just going to head home, but you two have fun seriously you deserve it." She pats them on the back, throws a twenty on the table and walks out into the crisp fall air. She starts walking towards her condo, after a block she finally manages to hail a cab. There's some traffic as they travel down Broad Street, the theaters are just letting out and the restaurants are full. Her phone rings and she smiles when she sees his name on the screen. "Hey Luke.” She answers.

"Hi." 

Just hearing his voice warms her, "Everything ok?" she bites her lip hoping he answers yes. It seems like it’s been the longest 2 weeks but she knows he needed to figure things out.

“Yeah, I’m ok. I’m actually on my way over if that’s ok?” he asks hesitantly, realizing that he should’ve called ahead instead of when he was already in the cab almost at her door.

She tries to contain her excitement, keep her voice calm as she answers. "Sure, I’m on my way home."

"See you soon." 

She can't stop smiling as she hangs up, and then notices the cab driver glancing at her through the rear view mirror.   
"Boyfriend?" he asks with a smile.

What she and Luke Hobbs have is complicated, too complicated to even try to explain. "Yeah." she answers then looks back out the window.

The last few blocks to her condo seem to take an eternity, when the driver finally pulls up to her building she hands him a $50 and tells him to keep the change. "I was beginning to wonder when you'd show up." his voice startles her; he's the only one who ever can.

"Traffic." she smiles. She walks over to him, giving him a quick once over. She can see the yellowing bruises, they look worse now than they did when she saw him in Brazil. "You ok?" she asks slightly worried. 

Hobbs just gives her a smile as he follows her into the building, "I'm fine."

They walk past the doorman, the guard and down the hall to the elevators. They ride in a comfortable silence, finally reaching her home. She unlocks her door and leads him in, turning on her lights so she can get a better look at his face. The bruise looks much worse in the light, “Can I get you anything?”

He just shakes his head as he drops his bag and removes his jacket. She loves that he wears fitted shirts, she can always admire his body but now she was noticing a few bruises on his arms. It just reminds her that he came very close to never coming back in Brazil. She knows firsthand that sometimes you just don't want to talk about the hell that happens. Sometimes it’s better to just let it go and forget. So she doesn't push him to talk, but she'll do her best to help him forget, even if it’s just for a few hours. 

She tosses her jacket on the couch and is caught by surprise when he pulls her into his arms. He kisses her with a passion uniquely theirs, a bruising kiss that leaves her breathless. She responds with equal fervor, her hands traveling up his chest to rest on his massive shoulders. A whimper escapes her when she feels his hands roaming over her, down her back to her ass to lift her into his arms. 

He parts from her lips to trail hot kisses down her throat, his stubble scratching against her soft skin. It's a combination of sensations she's come to love. She's surprised when he pulls away from her and lays her on her bed; she hadn't even known they were moving. She makes quick work of her shirt and jeans as he removes his boots and shirts. She's only wearing her underwear and he only has his cargo pants, but in her opinion it’s still far too much clothing. 

He moves over her and captures her lips once more, their tongues colliding in frenzy as their hands roam all over touching every exposed piece of skin. She's careful with her caresses, no nails raking down his skin today, not when he's injured. Her hands ghost over his skin instead, gently and careful of the various bruises that mar his skin. 

His calloused hands seem to be everywhere at once but not where she needs it most, her hips lift off the bed as she grinds up into him. He seems to get the hint and slowly drags his hand down her body. His rough fingers make their way to waist band of her underwear and just linger there. She pulls away from their kiss to glare at him and catches him grinning. He loves to tease her, but she can also see that he's not going to be stretching this session out. She can see the growing bulge straining against the material of his pants and knows he needs release more than she does. She pulls him down to her and kisses him to the point of distraction, her hands snake down their bodies to his pants making quick work of the belt and snaps. 

He releases a groan when her hand cups his hardness, she can see the lust in his eyes as she strokes him gently. She knows he's close and it'll take very little to send him over the edge so she stops stroking him and instead wraps her legs around him and flips them over. She reaches behind her back and unclasps her bra quickly tossing it aside, she's about to remove her underwear but is surprised to hear the tear of fabric as the flimsy material is ripped from her body by his hands. She smiles at him as she leans down to kiss him again as her hands push at his pants, lowering them just enough so she can free his hardened cock. 

She bites her lip to stifle a groan as she slowly lowers herself onto him, smiling as she hears him release a throaty moan. His hands hold her hips firmly; his eyes clenched tightly fighting for control. It's been several weeks since they've had sex and he knows she needs a moment to adjust. She can see that he's being careful in restraining himself, always afraid he'll hurt her somehow and she finds his concern sweet. Now is not the time for slow though, she rolls her hips and clenches down around him. "Let go baby." 

He lets out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and begins moving. After a moment they fall in sync, setting a fast pace. She's riding him for all he's worth, moving her hips and muscles, careful not to lean on him or aggravate his injuries. She's finding it hard not to grab onto him when he thrusts into her at the right angle and hits a wonderful spot. She digs her hands into the sheets, nails digging into her palms, anything to keep her from grabbing onto him like she usually would. He's got too many bruises across his abdomen and she's not sure if any ribs are broken. She's close and she's sure he is too. She can feel his grip tightening on her hips and knows he's holding back. 

She leans forward and kisses him, her breasts brushing against his chest, muscles clenching down around him as she grinds herself down on him. The added friction is all she needs and she's brought crashing over the edge. "Luke." she groans as a wave of pleasure rolls through her. 

He can feel her squeezing around him as he continues his thrusts, his grip on her hips tightening as he rolls them over. Her legs wrap around him as he pumps into her quicker and harder. Within a few seconds she's moaning and he can tell he's brought her close again. He controls himself, refusing to break before he's brought her with him one more time. 

Her hands are clenching the sheets, knuckles white as she feels the coil in her belly tighten. His thrusts are becoming erratic and rougher; she knows he's fighting to hold on. "Luke." she manages to say between breaths. She wants to tell him its ok but another orgasm tears through her, more intense than the first. 

"Angel." He moans loudly as he finds his release with one final thrust deep inside her. It feels like it lasts forever, the wonderfully euphoric feeling flowing over him washing away all the problems for just a few moments at least.

She runs her hands down his back as he buries his face in her neck, placing a light kiss on her skin. His body is cradled between her legs but he's careful to keep his weight off her so he won't squish her small frame. Her heart feels like it might burst through her chest and she takes a while to get her breathing back to normal but she slowly starts to come down from her high. The bruises along his shoulder and back are more noticeable now and she gently runs her fingers across them. 

He seems to sense her worry and rolls to his side bringing her with him, “I’m ok.” He says quietly.

She looks at him with a slight smile, “Glad to hear it.” 

There are a lot of things he wants to say, he’s not sure where to start or even sure if he should start tonight. When he looks into her dark brown eyes he feels the words on the tip of his tongue, he just lacks the courage to say it. He thought about it the whole time since he’s gotten back from Brazil and has wondered what he’d tell her. ‘I love you.’ He thinks to himself, it’s not that hard, just those 3 words. ‘Angel I love you.’ The words keep running through his mind, now all he has to do is actually say them. He takes a deep breath and sighs.

“You alright?” she can see that he doesn’t seem to relaxed despite what they just did.   
He just nods his head, “Just tired, it was a long flight.” ‘Tomorrow,’ he thinks to himself, ‘I’ll tell her tomorrow.’ He kisses her gently before pulling her closer, listening to her breathing deepen and relax as she drifts off to sleep.


	6. ch6

Coward: A person who lacks courage in facing danger, difficulty, opposition, or pain etc; a timid or easily intimidated person. It’s a word he’s never heard used around him, but it’s the word that comes to mind when he thinks about trying to tell her how he feels. It’s difficult for a man like him, he’s never been good with emotions and this whole ‘love’ thing is very new to him. Add to that the fact that he’s still carrying the emotional load of what happened in Brazil with him, well it doesn’t make shit any easier.

Last night was the first night he’d actually slept since coming back from Brazil. The other nights he tried he’d wake up in a cold sweat from another nightmare. The scene of his men dying, falling down around him, replayed in his mind every night. And each time just a little bit gorier, a little more painful. Last night, maybe because she was with him, he didn’t have the nightmare and he was grateful. 

She hasn’t asked him about the specifics yet, and doesn’t seem interested in pushing him to talk about it and for that he’s grateful. He’s not sure if he’ll ever tell her or anyone else, not sure if he should. Why add more chaos and death to her life when she deals with it just as much as he does, if not more?

He’s still got his job to deal with, his CO’s aren’t happy with his performance in Brazil. They had a lot of questions about how he “failed” to bring in Toretto and crew. He hadn’t told them what he’d done, that he’d given them a head start. He assured them he’d track them down and bring them in, and he would eventually but first he needed a few weeks off. They were less than thrilled with his response but he didn’t give a shit. He’s buried his men, and come home to the one thing that means something to him. 

She’s been great, as always caring and kind. But he notices she’s also acting strangely, almost as if she might break him just because he’s bruised. He finds it sweet and a little silly. He’s a foot taller than her, and not a frail man. He can withstand a hell of a lot more than a few punches, but it does make him happy to know she cares. When they woke up she was still curled up against him, her back against his chest and his arm around her waist holding her tight. 

Feeling her so warm and soft against him had an immediate effect on him and he gently kissed her neck which led to her moaning his name softly. They didn't actually get up till noon, after they were both too exhausted and he could hear her stomach growling. They went to have lunch at a nearby café, and then she showed him around the city before they made their way back to her place to relax. 

So here he sits with his arm around her shoulders as she leans against him on the couch while they watch a football game. It’s a nice feeling, and as the minutes tick by he slowly builds up the courage to try and say something to her. ‘Just three words’ he tells himself.

“God damn it!!” she jumps up as her team fumbles the ball. 

He watches her in amusement, laughing quietly. She turns to glare at him and he stops quickly. “You ok?” he asks trying not to grin as the opposing team scores a touchdown. 

“I’m ok,” she says sitting back down, “I’ll be even better if the Patriots score again so they can win.” 

He smiles, “They still got some time on the clock, I’m sure they’ll be fine.” He doesn’t care who wins, neither team are his favorite but for her sake he’ll hope for the Patriots. Luke just watches her quietly as she makes strange faces with each passing moment. His favorite is the look she gets when Brady throws a hailmary for a touchdown in the final moments, winning the game. She squeals happily, her smile wide and bright, her eyes practically sparkling, she’s just beautiful. When she looks at him she’s still smiling, “You happy?” he asks with a smile.

“Absolutely.” She says sitting down beside him.

He wants to kiss her, but he knows if he starts that he’ll get distracted. “Angel,” he takes a deep breath, “I need to tell you something.” 

Her face completely changes to where he can’t tell what she’s thinking. She’s got one hell of a poker face, “Ok.” She says hesitantly.

He realizes that he may have sounded a little grim and that might be the cause of her sudden concern. So he smiles slightly, and finally decides to take the leap. 

“Oh, mama mia, mama mia, mama mia let me go. Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me, for me, for meeeeee!!!!” The sound startles them both, the music growing louder as the guitar kicks in and she looks around for her cell phone. 

“Sorry, just one sec.” she tells him as she finds it. “Oh hey Lucy.” He knew it was her when he heard the ring tone; Bohemian Rhapsody is one of Angel’s favorites and Lucy’s too. The night on the plane he could hear Lucy humming it quietly. He watches her walk to the kitchen as she continues talking, whatever it is she seems suddenly quite irritated. “That’s kind of a load of bull shit.” He hears her say.

“Not a good time.” He whispers to himself quietly as he lays his head back. A few moments go by before she bids her friend farewell. When she walks back into the living room he can see her aggravation clear as day. Her jaw clenched tightly, nostrils flared, and when she’s aggravated or angry her eyes appear almost black. “Everything ok Angel?” he asks hesitantly.

She takes a deep breath before looking over at him, “Yeah, but I got a job and I need to leave tonight.” She feels the less said the better. She’s angry because she wanted more time with him, and angry because of the job itself, though she can’t tell him the specifics. 

He nods his head as he stands up, “Did you want me to leave?” he’s not sure if he should stay when she won’t be here. 

“You can stay.” She says shaking her head, “I’m just not too thrilled about going out last minute like this. I usually like more warning.” Prep time is essential for a successful and smooth mission, it makes her job that much harder when they’re thrown into the mix at the last second. 

“I know what you mean. Do you have to go? There’s no other team they can get?” he asks hoping she’ll say she’ll stay.   
She just shakes her head, her features still tense. It worries him to see her like this but there’s not much he can do. There talk can wait till she gets back, it’s not the right time to throw something like this on her, she’ll need her full concentration. 

“I’m gonna pack and get my stuff together, then I gotta leave for the airport.” She tells him making her way to her room. 

He waits a moment before following her, “Do you want any help?” 

“You can help me carry the bag downstairs once I’m done.” She smiles. 

She packs quickly, her phone going off two more times before she finished and she ignored them both. She still seemed irritated but he doesn't know what to do. “How long do you think you’ll be gone?” he doesn’t want to sound like a worried woman, but he can’t help it.

“Just a week or two, possibly less.” When she’s done he grabs her duffel bag and follows her to the kitchen. She grabs her car keys, not looking forward to the drive out of the city, there’s always traffic on I-95 and she’s gotta drive all the way to Mercer Airport in Jersey. 

“Be safe.” He says quietly as she turns to face him. She smiles, then her face turns serious again.

“Didn’t you wanna tell me something?” she asks.

He shakes his head, “It’s not important, we can talk when you get back.” 

She smiles again as they make their way to the basement garage. Once they reach her Camaro he loads her bag in the trunk and opens her door. Before she gets in she raises herself on the tips of her toes and kisses him. His arms wrap around her waist as he deepens the kiss. When they finally pull apart they’re both breathless and her lips are red and puffy. “I’ll call once I’m on my way back.” She smiles.

He grins as he watches her get in her car, “Be safe.” He says seriously before she pulls away. 

“I’m always safe.” She shouts back with a smile before driving off into the night.

He lingers for a moment before sighing and walking slowly back upstairs. “I’m a total fucking coward.” He says as he enters the elevator.


	7. ch7

Her body feels as if it's made of lead, every step she takes is heavy and tiring. It's been a rough day, and sadly she won't be spending the night in a five star hotel on a plush mattress with soft sheets. No such luck, this job is tough and she'll be spending the night with Lucy and Meg in an old warehouse, their makeshift HQ. 

She feels grimy, the sweat and dried blood sticking to her clothes and skin and all she wants to do is soak in a tub for a few hours with a bottle of wine. Unfortunately she has to add that to the list of things that won't be happening tonight. Instead she'll just wash up as best as she can in the small shower Meg put up when they first arrived two days ago, and hopefully she'll get a good night’s rest. It's doubtful though, she knows it's a slim chance that she'll get a full night of sleep. How can she with the current job on her mind?

When she'd been told her and her team were needed for a very important job it had irritated her. It’s not that she didn't love her work because she did, but because she'd been with Luke and hadn't wanted to part so soon. Once she actually received the file on the job, well that had changed her mind. She really hadn't wanted to go, but knew her and her girls were the best shot they had at getting this done. 

She stands under the low pressured cold water, it does nothing to soothe her sore body but at least she'll be clean. She watches the water swirl down the ground, red and brown, all the dirt and blood of the day. They knew this job wouldn't be a cake walk, but she wasn't prepared for this. The Intel they'd been given had informed them of a plan to put together a weapon, piece by piece. It seemed simple enough find the pieces and stop them from falling into the hands of the people trying to buy/steal them. 

The files also informed them of a team of at least 5 people, 3 of which had been identified. Dossiers on those 3 men were included in the Intel and they had recognized them immediately. John McNulty, Acilde Marquet, and Leo Sweeney. Three soldiers who had been dishonorably discharged and since then have become Mercs, working for anyone who throws a few bucks their way. They should be simple enough to take care of, but what had taken her and her girls by surprise were the other two men involved, Malachai Mordu, and Ares Devereaux. 

They’re easily two of the most evil, sadistic sons of bitches that ever roamed the face of the Earth. They were both highly decorated Army veterans; once they retired they had also become mercenaries and were highly sought after. She'd come across them once or twice when they were still in the military, even training with Ares a few weeks. They were men who lived for war, gun fights, and bloodshed. She's not sure if they were behind the whole plan, but it was definitely a possibility. 

The three simpletons didn't provide too much trouble, and they'd also managed to capture John and intercept whatever files they had on the weapon but just as they were gonna make a run for it shit got messy. Malachai and Ares made their presence known, quickly turning the tide in their favor. They were skilled with any weapon, and fighting against them hand to hand was not an easy feat. They'd managed to escape with their lives, though injured and without any of the intel. Lucy had managed to plant a tracer on Acilde during a scuffle, but it was found and destroyed about 2 hours ago. They tracked it to an old factory about an hour away. 

They hadn't gotten a chance to really review the intel that they'd had, but she had managed to catch a glimpse of some sketches, and the word 'Nightshade' written on a few pages. They'd contacted their boss and mentioned their findings, he was surprised to find that Malachai and Ares were involved and expressed his concern for their safety. Unfortunately there was no other team available for assistance so they were on their own. 

She wasn't frightened, just concerned. Not for herself of coarse, but for her team. Meg and Lucy were like her sisters, and though she didn't want to involve anyone else in this job from hell she wasn't keen on taking this further without calling for some back up. 

So...call they did. Michael and Gabriel, Navy Seals and extraordinary men capable of handling anything thrown at them. If anyone could help them out, it'd be them. She can trust them, and has done so before. She had Lucy place the call on their way back and they should be here within a few hours.

She finishes cleaning up and shuts off the shower. The warehouse is cold and damp, so she dresses quickly but can already feel a chill settling in her bones. Meg and Lucy are sitting on the small cots drinking some water and chatting, they grow silent as soon as they see her come near. 

"You two should wash up and sleep while ya can, as soon as the guys get here we're headin' out." They just nod their heads and Meg heads to the shower, Lucy stands and walks towards her. 

"You ok?" 

Angel notices the look of concern on her face, "I'm fine." she says trying to sound reassuring. She can tell it doesn't convince her by the look she gets in return.

"You took the brunt of a few bad blows, I saw." Lucy says quietly. Angel had put herself at risk, pushing her out of the way to fight off Malachai and she could see now the results of that fight. Angel was sporting one hell of a shiner which had begun blossoming on her cheek. Her lip was split, not too swollen and the bleeding had stopped but still noticeable. She could only imagine what bruising lie beneath Angel's shirt and pants, possibly even some bruised or cracked ribs. Hopefully nothing broken or too serious, but if anything was serious Angel would never tell. 

"I'm fine." She repeats, this time sounding a little more convincing. It's taking all of her energy right now to stand completely straight and not slouch from the pain she's feeling in her abdomen. Her ribs are definitely injured, at least cracked if not broken after the horrible blow Malachai landed. Not to mention being thrown into the wall by Ares. She'd taken a beating, no doubt about that, but her team can't know because she's the Captain and she has to be strong so they can continue with the job at hand. 

Lucy studies her friend closely knowing that she's hiding something from her, but its fine because she has a secret too. "Why don't you get some rest, and I'll let you know when the boys get here." She says with a smile.

Angel nods her head and walks away, knowing it would be futile to lie down at this point. She decides instead to take a walk up the stairs through the other floor of the warehouse. Maybe her mind would clear then, and finally allow her some rest.  
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
An hour later Lucy finds herself greeting the men as they come carrying a few cases. "Ooooh, new toys?" she says smiling. Michael nods his head, and puts his case down against the wall as he walks towards her and hugs her tightly. They've always been good friends and she's glad to see him even if it is under these circumstances. 

Gabriel places his cases down and just smiles at her with a nod of his head. He's always been the shyer of the two, but they still consider him a good friend. Then Lucy sees him, Hobbs, as he brings in the remaining large crate and puts it down by the table. 

Luke nods his head in hello to Lucy, and glances at the far wall where Meg is laying curled up and snoring lightly. He glances around the large room quickly, "Where is she?"

Lucy points a finger at the ceiling, "Went for a walk." Angel had gone up there almost two hours ago and hadn't come back down. She leaves Michael and Gabriel behind as she follows the large man to the stair case. She grabs his arm to catch his attention, "She's a little banged up." she decides to warn him, she knows Angel won't listen to her or check herself thoroughly so she hands him one of their med kits and pats him on the back. "Don't make me regret calling you." she says as he takes the steps two at a time.   
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
He glances around the large floor, nothing but stone columns and boarded up windows. A little bit of moonlight peaks through the boards and onto the floor, casting a blue glow and he finally sees her. She's all the way at the end of the room, perched onto the small alcove by a window. As he gets closer he realizes she's not sitting there, but has actually fallen asleep. He can't help but smile at the sight, a smile which is quickly replaced with a frown when he steps even closer and looks at her. 

Even in the dim light he can notice the dark bruise on her cheek. He then notices the cut on her lip, and feels the anger welling up inside him. He moves his hand, brushing a stray curl away from her face. He doesn't want to wake her, not when she's had such a rough day, and another one sure to come. So instead he puts the med kit on the ground and sits beside her deciding he'll wait till she wakes on her own to check her thoroughly. 

Lucy said they had at least 3 hours before they would have to make their move, so she'll at least get another hour of sleep. She seems to be in a deep sleep because she doesn't wake up; instead she seems to be drawn to the warmth his body provides. She moves closer, laying her head on his shoulder and her arms going around his. She sighs contently and continues sleeping. He wraps an arm around her, knowing it'll be numb soon from her sleeping on it but he doesn't mind. He's curious to see how she'll act when she wakes and finds him here. 

Lucy had explained to him on the call that she didn't know he was being invited. Both he and Lucy know she won't be happy that he's here in the middle of a dangerous assignment. Luke finds her concern sweet, but unnecessary. He can handle himself just fine, and Lucy seems to think so too. So she had no problem calling him, knowing that if he was here he'd help keep Angel safe since Michael nor Gabriel are able to reign her in. Lucy's idea was that maybe he could. 

He looks down at her as she sleeps peacefully; a small scurrying sound catches his attention by the stairs. Lucy pokes her head up and smiles, "That's so cute." she whispers. He clenches his jaw in slight irritation; cute is not a word to be used with him. 

Lucy notices the look on his face and turns to walk away quickly. She had just wanted to check on them since it'd been a few minutes and Angel hadn't come down to strangle her. Once her friend wakes up and sees what she's done she'll no doubt run down the stairs and berate her for it. She's willing to take her irritation though because she knows he'll keep her safe and help them with their mission and that makes it all worth it at the end of the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the Kudos, and thanks to those who continue to read it.


	8. ch8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing. Hope someone's liking this story so far.

What a wonderful dream she’s having, it’s almost as if she can actually feel the warmth of his body against her. The clean scent she breathes in, a smell she’s come to know intimately, it’s funny how the mind can play such tricks. Her mind slowly begins to awaken, her limbs feel sore and heavy still but she’s lying against something warm and it certainly helps. When did she get a pillow? Her sleepy mind thinks, when she first started dozing off it’d been against a hard concrete wall. Had she gotten a blanket? No, definitely didn't have a blanket, so why was she warm? 

Her mind slowly starts to become more alert, noticing the small things she hadn't a moment ago. Like something heavy and warm around her shoulders and on her hip, and that whatever she was laying against was warm, hard, yet soft at the same time. ‘What the hell?’ her mind seems to scream. She finally opens her eyes, it takes a moment to adjust to the low light and that’s when she notices him. “Luke?!” she squeals; so startled by his presence she moves quickly to sit up and almost falls to the ground. Thankfully he catches her by her waist.

“Whoa, easy there.” He says with a smile. 

“What the hell are you doing here?” She’s not sure if she’s happy or angry with his presence, and finds herself torn between wanting to push his hands away or wrapping her hands around his neck and holding him close. 

He can hear the slight anger in her voice; he’d known she might react like this. “Well it’s nice to see you too.” 

She wriggles in his grip, the pain instantly flaring in her side causing her to wince. His face changes from playful to concern in a flash and she feels her heart flutter slightly. “I’m fine.” She says before he can even ask. 

“You’re hurt.” He says as he glances quickly at her cheek. 

Her hand instantly moves to cover it, suddenly embarrassed that he’s seeing her like this. He holds her hand and brings it towards him, holding it gently. “How’d you get here?” she asks hoping he’ll stop looking for more injuries.

“Lucy called.” He looks at her closely, at the bruise and the cut, and he wants nothing more than to carry her out of here and take her home where she’ll be safe. He knows he’s got a better chance of winning the lottery than of convincing her to let her team finish without her so he won’t even bother trying. 

“I figured that much.” If he didn’t have his hands on her waist she’d be on her way downstairs right now to show Lucy her ‘appreciation’. She looks down at the ground trying her best to avoid his gaze, knowing that if she looks at him her anger will fade and she needs to hold onto it right now. He shouldn’t be here, it’s not safe and she couldn’t bear it if something happened to him. 

He seems to read her thoughts, “I’ll be fine, I’m here to help.” He says as his hand moves gently lifting her chin so he can take a closer look at the bruise. “Who did this?” he asks his voice very quiet.

She looks into his dark eyes and can see that he’s not happy. “One of the guys on the other team.” 

“Who?” His voice takes on it’s ‘business’ like tone. It doesn’t frighten her, but she knows that he’s taking this very seriously.

She tilts her head and looks at him, not sure if she wants to tell him the specific soldier responsible for her injuries. She doesn’t want him squaring off against Malachai. She’s sure that in a fair fight Luke could take him out no problems, but Malachai doesn’t fight fair. 

Her hesitation bothers him, but he won’t push her after the day she’s had. “I’ll just ask Lucy.” He tells her.

“Well, you two have become fast friends.” She says slowly standing up, his hands still around her waist.

“It’s easy to be friends when we both have something in common.” He pulls her closer to him. “We both care for you and neither of us wants to see you get hurt.”

“I don’t want to see you get hurt.” She replies, her voice a whisper.

He’s more than capable of handling himself in any situation, but he knows that just telling her that won’t make her stop worrying. He lifts her carefully, setting her back onto the alcove gently. “Let me check you out to make sure you’re not really hurt.” He tries to make it sound like a request knowing that she won’t take kindly to an order. If she refuses, he’ll just get Lucy to come up and help him and he knows that’ll really piss her off. Thankfully she seems tired enough to let him without much of a fuss. 

“I’m not that bad.” She insists as his hands move to her shirt. He arches his brow, refusing to take her word for it as he lifts the shirt slowly. So many thoughts rush through his mind, most involve him torturing and killing whoever did this to her.

The bruises are dark and spread across her right side entirely. She winces as his finger tips brush across her skin. “Sorry.” he mumbles as he continues checking her, garnering an occasional gasp or groan of pain. Thankfully it doesn’t seem as if her ribs are broken, but he can’t be positive without x-rays. “You shouldn’t go.” He knows it’s pointless to even say it, but he feels he has to at least try. She doesn’t even humor him with a response. “I’m staying beside you the whole time.” He tells her seriously.

“It’s not your job to protect me.” She’s slightly irritated, but finds his concern endearing.

He looks straight into her deep brown eyes and smiles slightly. “You know, it just dawned on me that we’ve never discussed the dynamics between us.” He says placing his arms on either side of her. 

She stares at him curiously, the tone of his voice is serious and she wonders what he’s going to say. “No we haven’t.” With the crazy few weeks they’ve had, she hasn’t really had a chance to sit and chat. She wonders if he plans on ending their ‘arrangement’, maybe he’d come all this way to pay her back for helping him in Brazil so that they’d be even before ending it. She feels the dull ache in her chest, knowing it’s her heart reacting to her thoughts of him possibly not caring for her as much as she cares for him. ‘If he’s gonna end it, at least let it be quick.’ she thinks to herself. “You didn’t have to come all this way to make up for me helping you in….” She doesn’t get to finish as he leans down and kisses her gently.   
It’s the lightest of kisses, but still seems to send a rush of heat through her. After a moment he pulls away and tries not to smile when he sees the look on her face. Her cheeks are slightly blushed, and she’s clearly been caught completely off guard. “It’s not just sex but way more than that. You’re mine and that makes all your problems my problems.” He says taking her hand in his. “This means when someone hurts you, I’m going to get involved. Don’t try and fight me on that because it’s a losing battle.” 

She’s at a loss for words for a moment, but manages to smile. It’s certainly not how she thought this conversation would go. “So I’m yours?” 

“You were mine the moment you let me inside you.” He says his voice low and husky.

She can feel herself blushing and smiles brightly. It’s not exactly ‘I love you’, but they’re not exactly an ordinary couple so it’s kind of appropriate. Their lips meet again, a passionate kiss filled with promise of what will happen once they’re done with this mess. They pull apart and she’s slightly breathless, she can see him grin slightly. She swats his arm playfully, “Don’t think this changes anything, I’m still mad that you’re here.” She says trying to sound serious. It’s difficult though when she feels this happy. 

He smiles at her as they walk to the steps hand in hand. Once they reach them she lets go of his hand and walks ahead of him downstairs immediately being swarmed by Michael and Gabriel. They hug her and laugh with her for a few moments as they catch up and he can feel a slight sting of jealousy rise up but knows that she’s his. After a few moments she becomes serious, her smile disappearing as she explains what’s going on. He, Michael and Gabriel listen intently as she and Lucy break down their plan. He watches as she goes from the Angel he knows when they’re behind closed doors, to the Angel in charge of a team of trained soldiers and CIA operatives. 

Once she’s done they begin suiting up and checking their gear, and he watches her as she cringes slightly while she pulls on her bullet proof vest. “I’m fine.” She mumbles before he has the chance to make a comment. The bruising on her side is really starting to hurt, and she knows it’ll only get worse but she’ll work her way through the pain. She glances around the room and sees Meg and Lucy checking their guns while Gabriel and Michael go over the maps and sees her opportunity to speak with Luke one more time one on one before they load up and move out.

“I’m staying by your side the entire time so don’t even bother.” He tells before she even has the chance to say anything. He chuckles slightly when he sees the look of irritation on her face. 

“We’re going on a mission, our job is to retrieve the Intel and hopefully bring in one of these assholes alive for questioning. You were brought here to help, not babysit me!” she tells him trying to keep her voice at a whisper so the others wouldn’t notice. 

He holsters his handgun and takes a step closer to her, “We discussed this upstairs, and I meant it when I said it.”

She really feels like stomping her feet but knows that’d be childish, she glances at the rest of the team and notices that they’re still preoccupied. She steps closer to him so they stand nose to chest; she looks up into his eyes and gives him her best “business” face. The look can usually send men cowering to a corner but he just smirks, “Fine, but do not treat me like some damsel in distress.” She says through clenched teeth. 

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He replies with a smile. 

“Alright let’s move out.” Angel calls out as she grabs her Python off the table and holsters it. The team nods as they begin moving their cases to the trucks. She moves to grab one of the cases but Luke swipes it from her before she can touch it, quickly shouldering it along with the other cases he’s carrying. She wants to be irritated but can’t help but smile. 

“Awww.” Lucy chirps, startling her. “You’re so cute.” She pinches Angel’s cheek knowing that she’s probably an inch away from death or dismemberment. 

“I will kill you for this.” Angel says with a smile, “We will talk when this is done.” 

“Oh don’t worry; you don’t have to thank me.” Lucy says sarcastically, grinning as she follows Angel to the truck. She ignores Angel flicking her off as she sits in the back seat beside Luke. 

“I need a name.” he tells her quietly so Angel won’t hear. Thankfully she’s preoccupied with discussing last minute strategic ideas with Michael as they begin their drive. 

Lucy grins slightly, she likes Luke. His attitude is somewhat like hers and she thinks he’s a good match for her dear friend. “His name is Malachai, he’s very tall, dark hair and eyes, tan with tattoos covering his arms. He’s built like a damned freight truck,” she adds glancing at him, “but that shouldn’t be too problematic for you.”

Luke nods his head, committing the details to memory. He’ll help them with their mission and keep them all safe, especially Angel. More importantly, he intends on killing the man that put those bruises on Angel, of coarse he’d kill him after he beats the shit out of him. 

“Just one more thing,” Lucy whispers, “He’s very well trained, and some would say evil but I’d go with psychotic.” She feels she should at least warn him, Malachai has never played fair. 

“I’m sure there’s nothing wrong with him that a bullet to the head won’t fix.” Luke says with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who reads and leaves Kudos. Reviews/comments are always appreciated.


	9. ch9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing.

Plans, even when well thought out and done with plenty of time, rarely ever go as expected in their line of work. Why she thought this time would be any different was beyond her. 

A hail of gunfire rains down around her, smashing into the concrete barrier separating her from their impact. The pieces of debris fly in all directions and she can feel small bits hitting her as she reloads her weapon. A small explosion goes off just a few yards away and she feels his arms wrap around her pulling her close, covering her from the pieces of metal and wood that come falling around them. 

True to his word, Luke was never more than just a few feet away from her since the moment they stepped out the truck. He’d taken out any dumb ass that dared come close to her, breaking their bones and putting bullets in them before they could even raise their hand or gun to her. On a good day she might have found his overprotective behavior a bit insulting, but with her body feeling the aches and pains of the previous days she’s totally fine with it. Of course she’d be damned if she admits it out loud. 

She smiles at him as he pulls away; he nods and follows her out from behind their cover. The firing in their direction has stopped for a few brief moments at least. They make a beeline for the far wall, just under the balcony where a few men had been set up with their automatic weapons. She glances around the deck of the cargo ship looking for signs of her team. 

What she sees are pieces of rusted metal, twisted and burning as a result of various RPGs and a few propane containers which were hit with stray bullets causing them to explode. She can see a few bodies of the unidentified Mercs. They’re still not 100% sure who is buying the Intel Malachai gathered, but whoever is behind the deal certainly has the money to hire some serious fire power.

She’s counted about 12 Mercs so far that they’ve killed; a few others have managed to make it away with injuries moving further into the ship. Some decided to call it a night and jumped into the choppy waters surrounding harbor. 

Her plan never entailed getting on this ship; they thought this was all going to go down a few miles inland at the warehouse they staked out. Once they had arrived at the warehouse they saw two black SUV’s driving away, Meg had been sent to follow them from a distance as the rest stayed behind to scope out the warehouse. Once they determined it was in fact completely empty and devoid of any important info they rendezvoused with Meg at her location. A few old cargo ships docked in the harbor, only one of which showed some activity. 

It was all so quiet for a few moments as they made their plan to move in. They took out two of the watchmen, and slowly began moving into place to put their impromptu plan into action. Then suddenly all hell broke loose. The peace from just moments before had erupted into a cacophony of gunfire and shouting. She managed to waste 3 clips of ammo in just moments, returning fire and providing cover for her team as they advanced into better positions. 

Now she’s lost sight of her team but their chatter over their Coms let her know they’re still ok. Unfortunately no one has seen Malachai yet, though Meg did say she saw Ares run down into the ship. She’s pretty sure he’s heading to Malachai and whoever the potential buyer might be so she makes her way towards the doorway, Luke close behind her. 

“I need a set of eyes outside to make sure no one leaves.” She shouts into the com waiting for a response. 

“Gotcha.” Meg replies quickly, “I’ll stay topside and keep an eye on things.”

“I’ll stay near her as back up, unless you need me to meet you inside?” Gabriel chimes in.

“Stay with her.” She doesn’t hesitate to order, knowing it’d be better if Meg wasn’t left on her own while injured, just as a precaution. “Mike, Lucy? You guys ok?” A few moments go by; agonizingly slow moments when you’re waiting to see if someone responds in a life or death situation. She and Luke start moving into the ship before they get a response.

“It’s a little crazy in here actually.” Lucy shouts over the com, she can hear gunshots in the background. She and Luke pick up their pace, their guns at the ready as they hear the noises grow louder. 

“We’re coming in, have you seen….”

“We followed the asshole in here.” Michael says before she can finish.

They come across a few bodies as they make their way deeper into the ship, one of them is Leo. A surprised look on his face, no doubt from the unexpected bullet to his forehead. “Lucy.” She smiles knowingly. Another body she’s almost certain is Alcide, though it’s hard to tell with half his body missing and half his face nothing but hamburger meat probably the result of an explosion. She has to fight the urge to gag when she sees him. 

The flashes of light in the distance followed by the shouts and screams of men not too far away draw their attention. They run into the ship’s cargo hold, and into a small warzone. Luke immediately pulls her by her shoulder down into cover behind a large metal container. Bullets fly by and hit the wall where they’d been standing. 

“Finally decide to join us?” Lucy says out of breath as she slides beside them.

Angel‘s glad to see she’s ok, some blood spattered on the side of her face but she’s sure it’s not hers. “You’re ok right?” she asks to be sure.  
“What? Me? Please, I’m totally fine. Just been holding back, wouldn’t want to have all the fun without ya.” She says with a grin. 

Angel grins briefly before Michael decides to interrupt. “I’ve got eyes on Ares and Malachai.” 

Lucy springs into action, delivering cover fire to allow Luke and Angel to move forward. They take out 2 more men, slowly making their way to the other side of the cargo hold, towards a small doorway. 

“They went through that door, and straight down the hall. They had a computer with them and a briefcase.” Michael shouts as he comes closer to them. 

There are still a few guys left firing at them. She glances quickly around the room, just six at this point, but two of them were hidden quite well behind a steel plate on a balcony overlooking the hold, making it difficult to get a clean shot. The other four would be easy enough, she glances at Lucy.

Lucy nods her head, there’s a point you reach when you’ve worked with someone for so long that verbal communication isn’t always necessary. They reached that point in their relationship years ago. Before Michael or Luke can protest, they run from behind their cover, Luke and Michael’s gunfire providing a few moments of respite from returning shots. Lucy breaks left, running full speed to the men hiding behind the box who are so busy ducking for cover they don’t see her coming. She jumps and rolls behind them, gracefully coming to stand in front of them. In each hand a shiny Ulak, she slices into them before they can even raise their guns towards her. She ducks down as their bodies fall to the ground, grabbing their guns and returning fire on the other two across the room. 

Angel takes this moment to run towards the corner of the hold, racing up the steps two at a time hoping that she went unnoticed to the two men with sniper rifles. She stays low on the catwalk, moving quickly into position behind them. The one man stops to reload his clip, turning slightly and seeing her. His eyes widen but before he can open his mouth to utter a sound of warning she blows half his skull away with her Python. 

The other merc moves to turn around but the feeling of the muzzle against the back of his head urges him to reconsider. “Drop it.” She says menacingly. The man holds onto the gun, it’s still aimed towards Michael and Luke. She’s hoping he’ll cooperate because she needs to keep someone alive so they can be questioned. Unfortunately he doesn’t want to play ball, he spins around, his arm coming up to connect with the side of her head. She’s a little quicker and dodges the swing quickly lifting her leg and delivering a powerful kick to the center of his chest. He’s shoved back against the railing, the momentum carrying him over the side as he flips towards the ground.

The loud splat can be heard over the few shots that signal the end of the other two mercs hiding on the other side of the room. She looks over the railing, “What a mess.” She says turning and running down as quickly as possible. Halfway down the steps she hears a loud noise, almost like a crash, followed by another deafening sound. The whole ship seems to rock for a moment, causing her to lose her footing and tumble down the last few steps. The cold hard steel is unforgiving and she can feel a sharp pain in her leg and in her side. She moves to lift herself off the ground and sees the smoke slowly starting to enter the room, then a rush of cold water flows on the ground. “Uh oh.” 

She stands as quickly as possible, the sharp pain in her leg flares to life as she puts her weight on it. Lucy runs towards her, “What the hell was that?” She looks genuinely concerned. Angel just shrugs her shoulders; she feels it’s a safe bet to conclude that it was most likely a set of explosions. Whether they were accidentally caused by the chaos on board the ship or done on purpose she doesn’t know. What she does know with absolute certainty is that there’s water on the ground and it’s quickly building up. 

“I think now would be a good time to leave.” Michael says running towards them quickly. 

“Meg, what was that? Are you guys ok?” She awaits a response. Nothing but static, she tries to calm herself and asks again. Still nothing. 

“Com’s might be down.” Lucy says, her voice also worried. 

Angel nods her head, that is a possibility and she sure hopes it’s true. She gestures towards the doorway where Malachai and Ares disappeared through, knowing that regardless of what’s going on they need to find them and bring in what they have. Or else all this bullshit will have been for nothing. 

Lucy and Angel make their way towards the door when Angel feels Luke’s hand on her arm. “I’ll go first.” He says trying not to linger on the fact that she’s clearly got a few more injuries than when they first arrived. He’ll also ignore the fact that she blatantly put herself in harm’s way deciding he’ll talk with her about it once they’re safely back on the plane home. 

He and Michael take point, moving quickly down the slippery hall. Lucy and Angel keep up with their pace, Angel pushing past the pain she’s feeling and concentrating on keeping herself on task. The few rooms they pass are empty and quickly filling with water. Once they reach the end of the hall they make their way up the stairs, then suddenly the boat begins to sway again. They brace themselves on the railing, Luke’s hands immediately going to Angel’s waist to steady her. Then they’re left in total darkness. 

“You’ve got to be fuckin’ kiddin’ me.” Lucy groans in frustration. After a few moments the dim red glow of the emergency lights come on. It’s somewhat helpful, and they’re able to make their way up the stairs and continue down the hall. 

The momentary blackout seems to have worked in their favor, as they briefly catch a glimpse of a shadow a few yards out, it quickly ducks away to the right and they can hear some noises as if they’ve stumbled and continued running. Michael runs quickly down the hall to pursue, Luke looks back at Angel. 

“Go, I’ll be fine.” Angel says quickly. He takes off behind Michael, hoping to get his hands on Malachai before Michael gets to him. 

She feels Lucy move closer to her, “I really hate the dark.” She says jokingly, keeping her gun trained ahead of them. They move as quickly as she’s able, down the hallway following the others. The sound of footsteps echoes behind them, and for a moment it’s difficult to tell whether or not it’s their own or someone else’s. 

‘You’re just paranoid.’ She tells herself as she picks up the pace, ignoring the pain in her leg. Her grip tightens on her Python, her other hand moving for the knife on her belt. She finds herself wishing she hadn’t sent Luke ahead of them. 

She feels a sudden rush of air behind them, like a breeze from a window which is odd because there are no windows in the immediate vicinity. She hears a thud, and then hears Lucy cry out. She turns beside her quickly and sees Lucy on the ground clutching at the back of her shoulder and head. Lucy reaches quickly for her Ulaks, but Angel hears another thud and Lucy cry out in pain. 

It’s difficult to see who’s doing it, or specifically where they’re standing when they’re a few feet away in the darkened hall, the red light casting an eerie shadow. She moves towards Lucy, thankful that she’s still conscious, but aware of her awkward breathing which clearly signals possible broken ribs. She keeps her Python aimed at the darkened hall, not sure where the person might be standing. She’s only got two bullets left, she’d like to make them count. 

“So nice to see you again Angel.” 

His voice sends a chill down her spine. “Malachai.” She hold’s Lucy’s arm with her one hand, trying to help her up while moving forward to cover her from any other possible assault. She keeps her gun firmly in her other hand, waiting for the opportune moment to blow his head off, she just needs him to step into the red glowing light so she can make sure she’ll actually hit him. She can’t risk missing because she’s in no condition to face him herself. 

“Well you don’t sound so happy to see me.” He says with a chuckle, “Which is a shame because I was really hoping you’d show up tonight so we could finish what we’d started.” 

She listens for any sign of movement, he seems to be standing still, or at least not moving towards them. He can probably see the gun she has aimed at him since she and Lucy are sitting right under the red emergency light. She moves back slowly, keeping Lucy behind her. 

“What’s wrong? Don’t you two wanna play?” His voice seems to bounce off the metal walls, adding an extra dose of psychotic creepiness to his demeanor. 

She keeps shuffling slowly backwards away from the light with Lucy close behind her. She barely blinks, hoping that she’d catch a glimpse of him so she can just put one between his eyes and call it a night. The adrenaline is slowly starting to wear off though, and the pain from various wounds and bruises are starting to flare up. Her hands are starting to sweat and she can feel her heart thumping wildly. Its fear, she knows it, and it makes her sick. 

“You don’t play well with others.” She says palming her knife slowly, just in case. 

He chuckles again, “Yeah I’ve always had a problem with making friends.” He seems to have tired of chatting, and in the next second she hears his boots hitting the ground as he rushes towards them. She manages to get off one shot before he tackles her and Lucy to the ground. The force of the impact when she hits the ground knocks the gun out of her hand and into the darkness. She manages to hold onto the knife though and pushes it into him with all her might. He lets out a howl, and moves off of her for a moment. It’s all she needs though and she slides backwards. 

“You little bitch.” He snarls as he moves towards them. 

She turns and picks up Lucy, quickly pushing her ahead of herself to safety. Maybe they can catch up to the guys, or maybe she could at least keep Malachai busy long enough for Lucy to get to safety and call for help. 

She feels a strong hand on her shoulder, squeezing painfully on her muscle. She turns bringing her elbow around hoping to make a connection with something but she meets nothing but air. She throws a punch, landing it but not doing too much. The grip on her shoulder tightens, and then moves to her arm twisting it behind her painfully. He pushes her against the wall and she fights against him, her other arm flailing trying to grab onto some part of him to cause some sort of damage. Her legs don’t do her much good as she tries to kick him but misses. 

Her hand runs across his vest, and she moves it up towards his shoulders hoping to reach for his neck. ‘Thank god’ she thinks as she feels the handle of a knife, she yanks hard and he suddenly releases his hold on her completely. He screams out in pain for just a moment and she swings out with her knife. She feels the blade make a connection, and she hears him hiss. She’s trying to get an approximation of where his neck would be, if she could at least get him to bleed enough she can make a getaway. She takes another swing but his arm catches her, twisting her wrist painfully and snatching the knife away from her. 

“If you liked to play with knives all you had to do was say so.” He growls into her ear as he plunges it towards her. 

She moves quickly out of the way, causing her arm to twist even more and for a moment she thinks she’ll hear it snap. The knife misses her upper body, but on the way down slices across her thigh. “Fuck.” She cries out feeling the pain burn slowly. 

He lets her go, toying with her like the sick and twisted psycho he is. “Go on, I like a challenge.” 

“Then you’ll love me.” 

The sound of his voice is possibly the greatest sound she’s ever heard she decides as Luke comes into view. He runs full speed down the hall and into Malachai knocking him to the ground. Luke stands up quickly and watches him closely. 

Malachai takes a moment to get up, his arm clenching his midsection as if he were in pain. “Who the hell are you?” he asks angrily.

“I’m Luke Hobbs.” He swings out a right hook catching Malachai right on the jaw. The man’s head snaps to the side so fast she thinks he might’ve broken his neck. 

Malachai tumbles against the wall and holds himself up, quickly looking back at Hobbs. His fists move up to block any more hits. “CIA?” He asks before swinging out his right leg in an attempt to catch Luke in his ribs. 

Luke catches his leg against him and brings down his elbow on Malachai’s knee. *CRACK* The sickening sounds of the bone breaking make her cringe but smile at the same time. She can hear Malachai whimper, then let out a slew of curses. 

“No, I’m DSS.” Luke responds letting the leg go, he watches as Malachai limps away a few steps, dragging his bad leg across the ground.   
“So arrest me then.” Malachai says spitefully.

Luke shakes his head, and then chuckles. “Not today.” 

Malachai strikes out with a jab, it catches Luke on his chin, causing a momentary pause. But then Luke just shakes it off, “Then what the fuck are you doing here?” 

“I’m her boyfriend,” he says with a smile. “and I’m here to kill you.”

Angel watches as Malachai struggles, he fights till the very end, but he’s no match for Luke. He gets only a few shots in, and she worries for a brief moment when Malachai pulls out a knife. She almost calls out, but worries she’ll distract him. 

Luke grabs the knife from Malachai, and moving quickly shoves it under the man’s jaw and up into his skull. She can hear the gurgling sound he makes as he chokes on his own blood and a wave of relief washes over her. “Luke?” She says hoping her voice doesn’t sound too shaky. 

He turns and moves towards her quickly, his face softening instantly. “How bad are you hurt? What did he do? Are you shot? Are you….” He rushes out so many questions her head spins, though she knows it’s probably from blood loss at this point too. 

She places her finger over his lips, “I’m ok, a little banged up but I’ll be fine. Did you guys get the case?” she asks hoping all of this shit wasn’t in vain. He nods his head. “Ares?” He shakes his head. She shrugs her shoulders, thinking how mad her CO will be when he realizes they have no one to interrogate. “Oh well, we can’t win ‘em all.” 

She looks over at the staircase, then at Luke. Her pride makes it hard for her to find the words, but she knows she’s going to have to ask him to carry her out because her leg’s throbbing and she’s feeling a little dizzy. Before she even breathes a word he’s swept her off her feet and into his arms, moving swiftly up the stairs and down the halls. “Thanks.” She mumbles. 

He looks into her eyes, smiling brightly. “Anytime.”


	10. ch 10

He lets out a breath of relief as he sits beside Angel on the plane. It’s been one hell of a day, or night he corrects himself as he glances out the plane’s window and sees dawn’s light illuminating the clouds. He looks beside him as Meg sits on the ground by Angel with a med kit. 

“Oh come on.” Angel groans clearly not feeling up to being checked on. 

Meg just glares at her, and then looks at Luke. “You need to get that leg looked at.” He says seriously. Meg grins as Angel rolls her eyes. 

“You’re supposed to be on my side.” Angel sighs.

“I think we should bring him on more jobs with us.” Lucy says with a grin from across the plane. She’s sprawled out across the bench, an ice pack on her head and her arm draped over her midsection. 

“I agree.” Meg smiles.

Angel glares at them both, “Don’t think I’m going to let this pass.” She says watching Meg cut away the fabric around her wound. “I will be kicking both your asses once I’m better.” Lucy continues grinning silently while Meg starts cleaning her wound.

Luke sits quietly as Angel leans her head against his shoulder. He can hear the change in her breathing, a sharp intake of breath every now and then when Meg wipes at the cut with the alcohol. She tries controlling her facial expressions, but he can notice the tick in her jaw and the muscle clench every so often and knows she must be feeling some pain.

“This is pretty bad, I’m gonna need to stitch it.” Meg says looking up at her, “Unless you wanna wait to see one of the Docs when we land?” 

Angel sighs, “Just get it over with.”

Meg nods her head as she pulls out the suture kit and sterilizes the needle. She looks up at Angel, “We don’t have anesthetic but I’ll be quick and clean.” She says as a warning, knowing that it’s not going to be a pleasant feeling.

Luke can see Angel tense up for a moment, and then she nods her head. He wraps an arm around her waist holding her against him, hoping that the feeling of him behind her would reassure or comfort her in some way. His hand moves towards hers, taking it gently in his. She squeezes it tightly as Meg pushes the needle through her skin. 

Angel looks away as Meg continues with her work, ‘Out of sight, out of mind’ right? She tells herself. That’s complete and utter bullshit. It doesn’t matter that this is one of many times she’s needed stitches, every single time they’re required they hurt like hell. Some areas hurt more than others, and right now she’d rate this as the 3rd most painful place she’s had to get them.

Luke watches closely, feeling guilty over the fact that she was injured. The whole reason he’d come along had been to protect her and she’d still gotten hurt. With every stitch Meg completes he can feel Angels hand tighten around his, her other hand tightening on his arm. She keeps her breathing steady and he wonders what she’s thinking about. “You ok?” he asks quietly. She nods her head as she lies against his shoulder. 

After a few moments she’s finally done. Meg places a protective waterproof bandage over the stitches to keep them dry for a while and picks up her kit. “Was there any other cuts?” Angel shakes her head. “Do you think anything’s broken?” Angel thinks for a moment, the fall on the ship hurt like hell but she’s sure it didn’t break anything. Her ribs still hurt but she’s broken them before and knows how that pain feels so they’re definitely ok. As for her arm, Malachai twisting it caused some pain and bruising but it seemed fine. So she shakes her head finally, and Meg just stares at her for a moment then turns and walks towards Lucy. 

Angel stays lying against Luke for a few moments as they enjoy the silence. Gabriel and Michael are in the cockpit, joking around as they fly the plane. Lucy sits quietly as Meg tends to her injuries, while they’re on their own in the corner with a moment to themselves. 

“You sure you’re ok?” He asks again watching as she slowly moves to sit down. 

“It depends on your definition of ok.” She says with a smile, an attempt to be humorous. She can tell he’s not exactly happy that she’s been injured. “I’m fine Luke.” She says studying his face. She can see the concern in his eyes, his face is so serious anyone would think he was angry but she knew he was thinking. ‘Does he blame himself?’ she wonders as she sees his eyes dart to her arm then her thigh. 

The silence that a few moments ago they found so relaxing now becomes somewhat irritating as they both wonder what else they can say. So they sit quietly, side by side for a few moments. They watch as Meg finishes with Lucy and goes to the cockpit to check on the guys. Lucy seems to have fallen asleep, and the silence persists with just the roar of the plane’s engines to break it. 

Angel yawns quietly as she tries her best to stretch her muscles without aggravating her injuries. It doesn’t work to well and she winces. Luke notices and moves beside her, leaning against the wall and wrapping his arm around her waist to pull her against him. She lays practically on him, using him as a giant pillow. “You’re comfortable.” She says sleepily.

“Yeah I’ve noticed.” He says remembering how she stayed snuggled against him in the warehouse, then he thinks back to the mornings spent together when he wakes up to her curled against him or on top of him.

They stay like that for a few moments, her body against his, her head on his chest and arm on his waist. The warmth of his body and sound of his heart beat are soothing and she can feel herself getting sleepy, but before she drifts off she wants to tell him, “Thank you for coming Luke.” She says quietly. For a moment she thinks he might’ve fallen asleep and not heard her since he doesn’t respond. She leans forward and looks up at him. 

His face is quite serious and she wonders what he could possibly be thinking. “For you I’d go anywhere, anytime.” He says finally and she feels a strange flutter in her chest. “I’m just sorry that you still got hurt.” He adds which quickly brings down her happy feelings.

“This is nothing, just a scratch seriously.” She tells him leaning forward. “You came in and saved the day, killing the bad guy and rescuing the damsel in distress.” She says quietly with a grin trying to get him to smile.

He does smile slightly, “You’re no damsel in distress, but I’m glad I could rescue you.”

“You even carried me away and everything, all you needed was a horse.” They share a laugh together, and then grow quiet again.

He takes a deep breath and holds her hand in his. “You remember the plane ride back from Mexico?” he asks. 

“Yeah, coming back from Durango after that insane shit storm?” 

He nods his head, “You had to stitch me up because…”

“Because you decided to be a hero and get in the way of knife meant for me.” She says remembering his first attempt at chivalry when they’d barely known each other. “Your excuse was that you slipped.” 

He smiles, “Yeah, I thought I was doing the heroic thing, saving the girl from a wound not realizing that you’re not that kind of girl.”

“Nope.” She says, “I’m not typically the damsel in distress.”

“No you’re more like the self rescuing princess.” He adds, smiling as he hears her laugh. 

“I like that.” 

He glances over at the cockpit doors, glad that Meg’s still occupied, then at Lucy who seems to be fast asleep and decides to take his chance because he knows it’ll be some time before they have another moment to themselves. “Well when I told you my pitiful excuse you smiled at me, you obviously knew I was bullshitting.” She nods her head remembering it well. “When you smiled, that’s the moment I knew something was different. It was the moment I started falling for you.” He looks directly at her, trying to read her facial expression. Her mouth is slightly open and she seems genuinely surprised. “I know that sounds incredibly cheesy, but….” He takes a deep breath before looking directly into her eyes. “I love you.”

If she wasn’t in shock from her injuries, she’s sure as hell in shock now. It’s funny how just three little words can do that to a person. Those three little words that have been on her mind for months have finally been said out loud, and by him no less. It caught her slightly off guard. 

“Angel?” he says his voice filled with concern. ‘Oh shit’ he thinks to himself as he watches her blank expression. “I’m sorry if I…”

“Just so we’re clear you did just say what I think you said right?” Angel asks clearing her throat. “Because I’ve been through a crazy few days and have some injuries, and that coupled with the blood loss leads me to believe that I might just be suffering from shock induced hallucinations or something and I just wanna be sure.” She whispers quickly. 

Luke leans toward her, his face just a few inches from hers as he takes her hand in his again holding it gently. “I love you Angel.” He watches as she nods her head slowly, and then smiles before leaning forward to kiss him. 

She ignores the pain in her body as she wraps her arms around his shoulders, holding onto him as he deepens the kiss. After a few moments they finally pull away breathless, both smiling. “I love you too by the way.” She adds quietly. She stays on his lap for a moment, her arms still around him as they just stare into each other’s eyes.

“Awwww.” Lucy’s voice breaks the silence. “That’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.” She remains lying down on the bench. 

Angel can feel Luke’s muscles tense up, obviously uncomfortable at being caught in such an emotionally vulnerable moment. She feels the same way, even if it is her best friend. “Sorry.” She whispers to Luke before moving off his lap and glaring at Lucy.

“Sorry but I don’t exactly have a place to go when we’re over 30,000 feet in the air.” Lucy says trying to sit up. “For what it’s worth I’m happy for you guys.” She smiles sincerely.

Angel nods her head, Luke smiles slightly. “Thanks.” He says awkwardly. 

Meg comes out of the cockpit a moment later, glancing at them with a curious look on her face. “You guys ok?” she asks sensing something amiss. Lucy just nods her head with a wry grin, her eyes flashing towards Luke and Angel. Meg’s eyes open in understanding and she tries to hide a smile. “Uh Angel, sorry to bug you but Gabriel needed some assistance with some of the controls.”

“Alright.” She sighs. Luke stands and helps her up.

“I’ll take her up there.” Meg says quickly coming to her side, taking one of Angel’s arms and putting it over her shoulders. He watches as Angel limps slowly towards the cockpit, the door opening as Michael steps out and lets them in. Luke watches the tall blonde close the door behind them, and then make his way towards him.

“You ok Lucy?” he asks glancing in her direction. 

Lucy smiles, “Right as rain.”

Michael nods and smiles before turning his attention to Luke. He takes a seat by him, allowing a few feet of space in between them before turning to face him. “That was some good work down there.” 

“You didn’t do too bad yourself.” Luke replies quietly.

Michael smiles slightly before becoming very serious. “So you are a friend of Angels?” Luke doesn’t know how or if to respond, finding Michael’s question somewhat irritating. Anyway, Michael doesn’t give him a chance to answer before continuing, “Because I’m a very good friend of hers.” Michael looks directly at him now, his blue eyes meeting Luke’s dark eyes. They hadn’t really talked about his connection to Angel on the flight to the job, opting instead to trade old battle stories, but now it seems he’s earned Michael’s interest. “I’ve known her for many years and this is possibly the first time I’ve ever seen her act this way with someone so I need to know what your intentions are.” Michael says with a stern look.

To anyone else, the look might have served as a deterrent and possibly make someone think twice about hanging around Angel. It doesn’t faze Luke though, and the large man just sits back in his seat and takes a deep breath before responding. “What me and Angel have is between us,” he doesn’t feel he needs to explain himself to anyone but if this man is indeed a good friend of Angel’s he doesn’t want to get off on the wrong foot with him either. “But I can assure you I have nothing but good intentions where she’s concerned.” 

Lucy glances at them both as they stare seriously at each other, neither blinking nor moving a muscle. For a moment she grows concerned that they might fight or argue, and then thankfully Michael smiles and holds out his hand to Luke. Luke eyes him curiously before shaking his hand.

“I’m glad to hear it, cause you seem like a great guy and I’d hate to have to kill you.” Michael pats him on the shoulder before standing and walking back to the cockpit leaving Luke with an amused look on his face.

“Is he serious?” Luke looks over at Lucy. 

She smiles, “Michael and Gabriel would go to hell and back to hunt down anyone who tried to hurt any of us, especially Angel.” Luke nods his head in understanding. “He would probably try to kill you, possibly even succeed.” She adds causing him to smile slightly. 

Luke watches as the smile suddenly disappears from her face, her eyes glinting in the dim light and her mouth set in a firm line. “I however would not kill you.” The tone of her voice does concern him a little bit, he’s only spoken with Lucy a handful of times but he’s never seen her act or sound so serious. “I will hunt you down and castrate you with blunt rocks if you ever break her heart.” 

Luke’s face shows genuine concern at her words, and before he can fully react the door to the cockpit opens again. “We should be there in a little bit.” Angel yawns. 

“That’s good, I’m exhausted.” Lucy says with a smile as she lies back down on her seat. 

Luke helps Angel back to their side of the plane glancing over at Lucy who shoots him a smile before turning on her side to get some rest. He forgets their threats as soon as Angel curls up against him, her arm on his chest, head on his shoulder. He wraps an arm around her, securing her against him as he leans against the wall. “Is everything ok?” She nods her head and he watches as she slowly closes her eyes. He can hear her breathing become slow and steady and smiles at the sight of her sleeping peacefully against him. “Love you.” He says quietly without hesitation, smiling as he realizes how great it feels to say it. 

“Love you too.” She mumbles.


	11. ch 11

“Oh god that feels good.” She practically groans when she sinks slowly into the hot water. Every muscle in her body starts to relax, and though the water stings her cuts and scrapes she still finds it very soothing. The hotel had her suite ready and waiting for her, as they usually do when she’s in town. Whenever she’s in Washington on business she always stays at the same hotel, in the same suite. Her team does as well, though their accommodations have changed slightly, Meg and Lucy shared a room and let Gabriel and Michael have the other since the rest of the hotel was booked for a convention. 

Of course she and Luke would share their suite, the very suite they’d slept in almost a year ago when this whole thing started. She smiles slightly at the memory, and at how much has changed in a year. “What can I order for you?” Luke asks as he steps into the enormous bathroom. He’s still dressed in his gear, but removed his weapons before entering the hotel. He’d carried up their bags and helped her get settled. 

He was trying to keep himself preoccupied as she bathed, clearly not wanting to focus on the fact that she’s naked and wet and just a few feet away from him. She thought it was sweet, but completely unnecessary. “I’m not really hungry.” Food is the last thing on her mind. As soon as they’d landed at Reagan International over an hour ago the first thing she had thought about had been a nice hot bath. Cross that off the list, now what she needed was that incredibly large and fluffy bed; though at the moment her mind is thinking of the wonderful things that can be done on the bed other than sleep.

Luke glares at her, “You need to eat something.” He tries to say it as seriously as possible; hoping that a firm tone of voice might make her concede easily. She just arches her brow in response, no words are needed. “How about waffles?” he adds quickly. 

Her stomach betrays her and rumbles softly at the mention of her favorite food. She squints at him as he grins, “Waffles.” She nods, “With plenty of syrup, and powdered sugar, and whipped cream.”   
“I thought you weren't hungry?” he chuckles.

“Less talking, more ordering.” She says turning her back to him as she washes herself. 

He takes a deep breath before tearing his eyes away from the sight of her in the tub. ‘She’s injured’ he keeps telling himself. No matter how covered in dirt, or blood, or sweat she’s still sexy and beautiful to him. Given what’s happened in the past 48 hours he’d say that’s also added to the allure. 

He smiles as he walks into the room and towards the phone, ‘She loves me’. The words keep replaying in his mind. It’s a very new experience for him, but he thinks he can manage. 

“Don’t forget to tell them to bring milk!” she shouts from the bathroom, drawing him away from his thoughts.

He smiles and shakes his head as he picks up the phone and orders room service. When he’s done he looks around the room, his thoughts drift back to that night, their first night almost a year ago. This same suite saw their passion come alive for the first time. They’d come back to it just a handful of times since then, usually just meeting where ever it was convenient for the two of them. Once they’d become comfortable with the arrangement he’d just land in Philly between jobs and meet with her at her place. 

That’s where they had wanted to land, but her superiors had other ideas. As they had been entering US airspace a call had come in through the SAT phone, Angel had answered and her mood changed entirely. She’d argued for a few moments, and then begrudgingly agreed though it was obvious she didn’t have much of a choice. 

One of her superiors, John Feldman the Operations Coordinator ordered an immediate debriefing within a few hours of their landing. He ordered them down in Reagan International so they’d be close by. They had till 3pm to rest and recoup before they’d be hauled into the office for a meeting and evaluation. He, Michael and Gabriel were also ordered to attend. 

As they made their descent he’d asked Angel about the man barking orders over the phone. She had simply said, “A pretentious prick.” Meg had then started talking to Angel and so he decided to ask Lucy all about the man.

What he learned was that John Feldman was one of their superiors, not too high up the food chain but just enough to make them miserable from time to time. The son of a bitch was the one who ordered them on this job, and then denied their request for backup or further assistance. He’d basically sent them into a dangerous situation, found out it was more complicated than expected, and then told them to grin and bear it. Luke didn’t know the man, but he was definitely looking forward to seeing him in person. 

“How long did they say it’d take?” 

He gets off the chair and walks back to the bathroom, smiling as he sees how relaxed she looks. “Twenty minutes.”She sinks lower into the water, the bubbles covering most of her but leaving little to his imagination which was currently running rampant. 

“Are you going to shower, or were you planning on joining me?” She grins wryly. 

He’s very tempted to join her, the tub is more than big enough for the both of them, but he knows where it’ll lead and he’s afraid he’d aggravate her injuries. “Men don’t take baths.” He says smiling as he steps out to retrieve his change of clothes. 

“One day I’ll get you into the tub and you’ll see just how wonderful they can be.” She says quietly. 

Her words conjure thoughts in his mind, he doesn't doubt her. “Maybe one day I’ll let you.” He tries his best to sound normal but his mind isn't cooperating too well. “For now I’ll stick to the shower.” ‘A very cold one’, he thinks to himself as he barely turns the hot water on. He undresses quickly and steps into the large glass stall. 

The smoked glass hides all the details leaving only the outline of his body to her gaze. It’s not like she needs to see the details, she knows them all quite intimately. From his thick neck and broad shoulders which were so sensitive to her lips. To his large arms with their tattoos and biceps which hold her so tightly. The large expanse of his chest which she loved to have pressed against her, down to the rippling muscles of his abs which lead down to his narrow hips and powerful legs and of course that wonderful part in between which she was particularly fond of. 

Suddenly the water she’s sitting in is far too stifling and she finds herself slightly short of breath. She opens the drain and steps out of the tub, wrapping the large fluffy towel around her and making her way out of the bathroom. She’s very tempted to turn around and join him in the shower but the knock on the door draws her attention.

She checks the clock, it’s only 7:17am and she knows room service wasn’t that quick. “Who is it?” Luke calls to her from the shower. 

“Probably just Lucy or Meg.” She says quickly stepping into the bathroom and grabbing Luke’s tshirt. Her bag had a change of clothes but no pj’s and she’s sure he won’t mind her borrowing his. She pulls it on over the towel and drops the towel on the bed as she makes her way to the door.

“What do you…” she starts as she opens the door only to be shocked by who’s standing on the other side. 

The man removes his hat and smiles warmly at her, his bright blue eyes crinkle slightly. “Angelique my dear, how are you?” 

“David?” She’s very surprised to see him. When she’d spoken to John he’d made no mention of David attending the briefing or even being in Washington. She and her team had tried reaching out to him three days ago and had no luck. David Bishop was the Chief Operations Coordinator, the main supervisor in her area, and one of her dearest friends. It was no secret in their office that he had a soft spot for Angel and her girls, it was a point of contention for John and some others who felt it was inappropriate given their working relationship.

The older man steps into the room as she closes the door and turns to hug her gently. “I can see you weren’t expecting me.” He says with a smile, “I heard that something had happened to a team across seas involving Malachai and immediately thought how dangerous that job could’ve been. You could imagine my surprise when I find out that in my absence John felt it necessary to send you on such a job.” She can hear his discontent in his voice, clearly John would be getting his ass handed to him at some point, she only hopes she has a front row seat. 

“The job was difficult David but me and my girls could’ve handled it had we been properly informed and supplied with the necessary resources.” She knew that John never liked her or her team, the fact that they were David’s favorites didn’t help but she never thought he’d be so stupid as to allow his personal feelings to get in the way of a mission. Apparently she’d been wrong and he felt that teaching them a lesson or getting them all killed was more important than removing weapons from the hands of potential terrorists. 

“I have no doubt you would’ve done wonderfully as always, though I am glad you three were resourceful enough to find help on such short notice and complete the mission regardless of the shortcomings.” David drops his hat and jacket onto a chair and stands in front of her to study her appearance for a moment. He runs a hand through his graying hair. “You know worrying over you has given me almost every grey hair I have.” He says with a chuckle as he takes stock of the various bruises that cover her arms and legs. 

She knows that he’s worried and is thankful that Luke’s shirt is long enough to cover her to her knees because it means he can’t see the knife wound on her thigh. She looks down at herself, suddenly very self conscious that she’s greeted a dear friend, a father figure basically, in nothing but her boyfriend’s tshirt. She can feel a blush creep into her cheeks.

David can see her face redden slightly and can’t help but smile. “I’m assuming that shirt is not Michael or Gabriel’s, would that be Agent Hobbs in the shower?” He watches as her face gets even redder. “It was very nice of him to help you on such a dangerous and important mission.” He says as she nods her head.

“It was very nice for the guys to help out.” She says quietly. “Luke was….” She doesn’t quite know what to say. She hadn’t really thought about having to ever tell David she was seeing someone. It’s not an everyday occurrence for people like them so she stands still for a moment and thinks quietly to herself.

“He put himself at great risk to assist Meg, Lucy, and you. He could’ve been injured, or worse and possibly even fired from DSS for something like this.” David is somewhat surprised that someone would risk their personal well being as well as their professional career for someone, unless he really cared for Angel. There’s no doubt in his mind as he watches Angel squirm that she definitely has feelings for Hobbs, the point of course is made even clearer by the fact that she’s wearing only his shirt and they’re sharing a room. 

“Luke shouldn’t be held responsible for…” Angel says immediately worried that Luke helping her could get him into trouble.

David wraps an arm around her shoulders, pulling her to his side in a comforting embrace. “Don’t worry my dear, I don’t intend on telling anyone and when I’m through with John he won’t say a word either.” He assures her. “Agent Hobbs seems to be a decent man, a good agent, and I think you two would make a lovely couple.”

She’s not sure how to react to the last part. David, her mentor, trainer, the one man she’s looked up to in her life has basically signed off on the man she loves. She finds herself smiling brightly at the thought, “He’s great.” She says trying not to sound too gushy. 

“Sorry, I didn’t know we had company.” Luke’s voice interrupts.

Angel turns to face him, still smiling from her talk with David. “Oh, sorry uh this is David.”

David steps forward to shake Luke’s hand, “David Bishop, I believe we met for a brief moment a few months ago before you helped my team with the job in Mexico.” 

Luke shakes the man’s hand and remembers seeing him for a few minutes at that briefing. He’s heard Angel mention him a few times, always with a smile or pleasant tone of voice. He’d be lying if he didn’t say that every time she spoke of the famous “David” he didn’t get just a little jealous but looking at the man now and at the way Angel acts around him he’s confident that the man is more of a father to Angel than anything else. 

“Yeah I remember.” Luke says with a nod of his head. He wishes he’d had warning that someone else was here. He’d walked out of the bathroom in only his shorts since his tshirt had gone missing. A quick glance at Angel solves that mystery and he smiles slightly at the thought of her wearing his shirt. 

“I owe you a thanks for helping my girls out again.” 

Angel notices that David and Luke are studying each other closely, sizing each other up and determining what kind of man the other one is. She shakes her head slightly, amazed that men act so silly when meeting another man. 

Luke stands straight, shoulders back and square in front of David who’s adapted a similar stance. “No thanks needed, I’ll help out whenever I can.”

After a few tense seconds of silence David smiles at Luke, “I’m glad to hear it Agent Hobbs, and I’m glad to know I can count on someone to help me keep an eye on Angelique.”

Angel stares at David, “Keep an eye on me?” she asks with a glare. 

Luke just nods his head with a smile as he shakes David’s hand again. “She can sometimes get into a lot of trouble so you have your work cut out for you my dear boy.” David adds with a chuckle.

“I’m sure I do.” Luke laughs.

“I’m right here you know?” Angel stares at them both.

David grabs his jacket off the chair and puts his hat back on before turning back to Luke and Angel, “I’ll be cancelling the debriefing. You take some time off, I don’t want to see you on another mission for at least a few weeks, and that’s an order.” He says pointing to Angel. Then he looks at Luke, “Try and make sure she listens.” 

Luke nods his head, “Will do.” He flinches as he receives a hard jab to his side, he glances at Angel and could see her stare. 

“Don’t let her intimidate you.” David tells him jokingly. 

“How will you cancel it, John won’t be happy.” Angel says knowing this will only cause John to dislike her even more. 

“I’ll handle it, now I’m off to speak with the others. I’ll get my debriefing from them and collect the necessary information. No need for you to worry, I’ll see you in a few days to speak with you about the job and information you have collected. Till then just rest and stay out of trouble.” He says leaning down and placing a kiss on her cheek before hugging her gently again. 

Angel feels somewhat relieved that she has some time to relax, and to make everything better she won’t have to deal with John. “Just call me when you’re close by.” She tells David. 

“Agent Hobbs,” he says turning to Luke, “It was very nice to see you again.” He says with a tilt of his hat. Angel walks him to the door and closes it behind him.

“Well he seemed nice.” Luke says as she turns from the door. The look on her face tells him she didn’t find his conversation with David too amusing. He just smiles at her as he walks towards her. “So you stole my shirt.” He hopes to change the subject. 

After a few moments she smiles slightly, “I thought it was the waiter with our food and I didn’t want to answer the door in only my towel.” She says leaning against him, her arms resting on his chest. Her eyes are wandering over his body which seemed to shine in the early morning light coming from the windows. 

“Well I’ll answer the door when they come, I don’t want them seeing you in nothing but a shirt either.” His hands move to her hips as he holds her gently against him. 

“Possessive much?” she grins.

“I’m sure we discussed this the other night, you’re mine remember?” 

She slides her hands up his stomach, over his chest and finally reaches his shoulders as she wraps her arms around him, pressing her body against his completely. She’s on her tippy toes and still can barely reach his lips with hers. “I don’t think I quite remember, you might have to remind me.” She says very quietly. She can tell by the sudden change in his breathing, the look in his eyes, and the impressive bulge now pressed against her that he’s more than willing. 

“You’re hurt.” His voice is quiet, filled with worry and restraint. He wants nothing more than to take her in his arms and to bed for days and show her how he feels, but he knows he could hurt her and doesn’t want to take the risk.

She places a soft, quick kiss on his lips before pulling away. “I’m not made of paper Luke.” She responds. The knock on the door draws her attention from him and she pulls away from his arms to answer it.   
The young man wheels the cart into the room and smiles at them both, Luke quickly hands him a large tip and the young man nods his head before leaving the room. Once the door closes they stand quietly beside the cart. The smell of food fills the room, and though a few moments ago they would’ve found it enticing they both now crave something different.

He watches her as she lifts the cover off the plate and takes a bite of a strawberry. He finds himself staring at her for a moment before smiling widely.

She wonders why he’s so quiet all of a sudden and looks up from her plate, “What?” she asks when she sees him smiling. 

He shrugs his shoulders, “Nothing.”

She stares at him for a moment before shaking her head, she keeps eating the strawberries.

“You’re not eating your waffles?” he asks surprised.

“Not really hungry right now.” She tells him. He walks over to her, leaning down for a kiss. It’s soft and gentle; his hands rest softly on her hips. It caught her off guard but she responds eagerly. They deepen the kiss as she wraps her arms around his shoulders to steady herself. She pulls away after a moment to catch her breath. “That’s not really fair to get me all riled up when we can’t take it any further.” She sighs quietly.

“I’m worried I might hurt you since you’re already injured.” He repeats and watches as she rolls her eyes and shakes her head. “I know you’re tough, I just…” 

She cradles his face in her hands and kisses him on the lips again, it’s full of passion but very brief and she pulls away leaving him aching for her to continue. “I know you’re worried Luke, but I trust you.” 

He makes up his mind and lifts her into his arms, resuming their kiss. He can taste the strawberries on her tongue and the slight sweetness of syrup and after a few moments he begins moving towards the bedroom. In any other situation they wouldn’t make it to the room and he probably would’ve taken her on the table or against the wall but this would be different. 

The kiss has her so distracted she doesn’t notice they were moving till she feels the soft mattress under her back. He pulls away from her lips, kissing her cheeks and jaw before leaving a trail of kisses down her neck. 

She can feel his tongue and lips on her skin and practically purrs in content. He smiles at the sound and makes his way further down, kissing her through the thin cotton of his shirt. It’s a strange sensation, feeling the warmth of his mouth through the material as he turns his attention to her breasts. It’s delightful but not enough and she longs to feel him directly on her skin, not just through the shirt. She wriggles slightly and he seems to get the idea. His hands slowly make their way from her hips to the edge of the shirt. 

He slides a hand slowly under the shirt and up her smooth thigh, avoiding the bandage and bruise, up her hip and smooth stomach till he reaches her breasts. He keeps his touch very gentle, careful not to put too much pressure on her skin since he knows her ribs are bruised. 

She can feel the rough pads of his fingers gently touching her skin, he cups her breast in his hand as he runs his thumb over her nipple. He can hear her breathing change, he can feel her chest rise and fall with each gasp and moan. He resumes his kisses on her neck and collar bone, keeping his hands busy with caressing her skin and breasts but only gentle touches. After a few torturous moments he finally lifts the shirt up, exposing her breasts to the cool air and to his hungry gaze. She watches as he lowers his mouth to her breasts, her head falling back against the mattress as she feels his lips and tongue close over her nipple as his hand takes care of the other. He makes sure to deliver equal attention to both and in moments has her moaning and writhing beside him. 

She loves when he teases her but she feels he’s taking far too much time and just wants to feel him inside her. She lifts her hips off the bed slightly, grinding it against his leg in an effort to get his attention. He pulls away from her to lift the shirt from her completely and tosses it on the floor. Much to her annoyance he doesn’t return to his position beside her but instead stands at the edge of the bed to look at her. “Luke?” She wonders what he’s doing, more importantly why he’s not back on the bed with her, till she realizes that he’s looking at her. 

Even after a year of ‘fucking’ she still isn’t completely used to him seeing her completely naked and feels herself blush. She wants to move her arms and legs to cover up but her muscles don’t want to cooperate. “You’re beautiful.” He tells her before moving back on the bed, their lips meeting as their hands roam. 

She groans into the kiss as she feels his hand ghost over her stomach and settle just above where she needs him the most. He knows she’s ready and eager but he’s decided to take his time. After all, it’s not just sex for them. 

“Luke.” 

He can hear it in her voice, impatience. He does love to tease her, but that’s not his intent today. “We have days, if not weeks to do this as many times as we like. And believe me when I say I will take full advantage of that time, but right now I’m taking my time with you. I’m going to kiss and touch every inch of you, and I’m going to make you come apart again and again but we’re going to go slow.”

His words leave her speechless for a moment, she wasn’t sure it was possible but she finds herself even more aroused. “Why?” she wonders.

“Because we’re making love.” He answers before moving his hand to her center. He slides a finger into her tight warmth and swallows her groan with a kiss. He can feel how slick and hot she is and feels her muscles contracting around his finger. It’s enough to make him want to forget his plan and simply burry himself deep inside her for days but he strengthens his resolve and continues. His thumb finds her clit and rubs it lightly and her mouth falls open to gasp for air. He moves his lips to her neck as she moans his name. Her head falls back against the mattress as she wriggles against his hand, grinding against him in an attempt to lessen the building pressure. 

She’s so lost in the sensations that she doesn’t quite notice him kissing his way down her stomach till she feels him place a kiss on her hip. She opens her eyes and looks down at him, he places a kiss on the inside of her thigh then the other and she feels him replace his hand with his mouth instead. Her hands grab the sheets as her head falls back. She can feel his lips and tongue caressing and licking her most intimate parts. Each lick and thrust from his tongue sends a jolt through to her core and she can feel the heat rising within her threatening to consume her. She can barely lift her head to glance at him but all she can see is the top of his head buried between her thighs as his hands lay gently on her stomach in an attempt to keep her hips down on the mattress as gently as possible.

It’s proving rather difficult as she continues to lift her hips against his hungry mouth. He devours her happily, and takes in every moan and groan as a sign of applause to his efforts. He can feel her grow wetter, smell her arousal and knows she’s teetering on the edge. He moves to her clit, kissing and sucking it gently as he slides his finger back into her. He feels her muscles flutter immediately around the digit, “Luke.” She calls out as he continues and brings her over the edge. 

Wave after wave of pleasure course through her, and every muscle feels shaky and weak. She lifts her head slightly to glance at Luke, he gives her one final kiss before making his way up to her, lying close on her side. He places his hand on her stomach, his thumb gently stroking her skin. “You ok?” he asks. 

After a few uneven breaths she finally answers “Fantastic.” 

She turns her head to look at him and wonders why he’s not on top of her. He’s still worried, she can tell. She pulls him down to her for a kiss, her hand slides down his chest and stomach to the waistband of his shorts before pushing them down his hips. She can’t reach to take them completely off but he seems to get the hint and discards them, tossing them on the floor by his shirt. Her hand reaches his hip and slides forward to the base of his hardness.

She can feel it practically pulse in her palm and she gives it a light squeeze drawing a groan from Luke. She strokes him a few times, very softly, knowing that he’s very close to his edge. She’d love to return his favor but knows in her current state she’d be unable to so she’ll save it for another day. Besides, he did say they had a very long time ahead of them to explore this new found intimacy and she intended on making the most of that time. 

She runs her thumb over his tip, feeling the warm sticky drop on top. She gives him one last stroke before moving her hand back to his chest. He pulls away from the kiss, and looks at her closely. His look says it all, and he doesn’t even have to ask her ‘Are you sure?’ she simply smiles “I love you.” She tells him.

It’s all he needs to know, he carefully moves on top of her, keeping his weight braced on one arm as his other hand rests on her hip. She can feel him against her inner thigh, and sighs in relief as he slowly inches into her. Once he’s completely in he stays still for a moment, allowing her to adjust and afraid to move without her approval. 

Their eyes lock for a moment and she smiles again before their lips meet. He rocks slowly against her, experimental at first, just small thrusts. He’s very careful to keep his weight off her, but it’s hard when she feels so tight around him and her arms are wrapped around him holding him close. He lowers himself against her, his chest touching hers, her legs cradling him but still keeps his weight off. The feeling of him being so close to her, their bodies pressed together and him rocking against her begin building up the fire once more.

After a few moments he’s sure she’s not in any pain and he changes his rhythm, still slow but long thrusts, drawing himself almost completely out before pushing back in. Every stroke draws him against her sweet spot and she feels herself reaching the edge a little quicker. In between thrusts they kiss briefly, but the need to breath requires them to keep them short. She can see the sweat on his brow, the clench of his muscles across his body as he fights to maintain his control and move slow. 

She opens her legs a little wider, hooking her uninjured leg around his hips and he slides in a little deeper causing them both to groan out. She can feel herself on the brink, he starts kissing her neck and she can feel him pick up the pace. “Luke.” She cries out as she falls over the edge for a second time.

He hears her and can feel her hands tightening on his arms, her inner muscles clenching down around him. He keeps his pace up, prolonging her release before finding his own and with one final thrust comes deep inside her. He places a kiss on her shoulder, her neck, and then her lips before looking into her eyes. “I love you.” He says quietly as he rolls to his side bringing her with him. She cuddles against him, her head on his chest and her legs entwined with his. 

“I love you too.”


End file.
